Kingdom Hearts: The Next Generation
by XantheXV
Summary: UPDATED! Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren accompany King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy to Twilight Town, where they meet Axel, and visit Yen Sid. Maybe he knows more about them than they do. Their adventure is about to begin. Please R&R. Rating changed just in case. Temporary hiatus!
1. Prologue: Bedtime Stories

Author's Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is owned by Square-Enix and Disney. I also don't own any Final Fantasy characters that show up in this fan fiction. They are owned by Square-Enix. I only own the OC's. I do not mean any of this to seem like it is copyright infringement.

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue: Bedtime Stories<strong>

Eight people gathered around a bed that was centered in the middle of the room. There was a single window that was opened, with the wind blowing in from outside. They could see an island that was with rowing distance from where they lived. The adults brought in chairs for all of them to sit while two of the kids—a boy and a girl—sat on the bed. The other, a boy who looked a little older than the other two, stood in a corner next to a huge poster hanging on the wall next to the window.

Sora sat next to Kairi. They put their chairs closer to the kids sitting on the bed, right next to the window. Riku and Naminé put their chairs close to the bed as well, and sat next to each other. Roxas sat closer to the kid standing in the corner.

The boy sitting on the bed, with one leg hanging off the edge, looked at Kairi and said, "Mom, do we have to listen to this story every time we have Uncle Roxas, and Uncle Riku and Aunt Naminé over?" The boy had a striking resemblance to Sora. He had the same spikey hair, only it was red-brown like his mother's. He had the same blue eyes as both of them as well. He wore black and blue pajamas, and looked to be about fourteen.

"Aw, come on, Zephyr," Sora said. He was wearing a red shirt with blue jeans. He wore a few belts that hung loosely off his waist. "Be honest with yourself. You like the story."

Zephyr paused a moment, and then said, "Yeah, but still."

"Maybe we can tell another one?" Naminé suggested. She was wearing a white dress with a white cover shirt over it. "We might be able to come up with something."

"But I love hearing this one," the girl, sitting with her feet crisscross on the bed, chimed in. She hated the idea that another story might take the place of her favorite. She was wearing lavender pajamas. She had black hair and purple eyes. This was Zephyr's sister, Apolla. She, too, was fourteen.

"Yeah," Roxas agreed. He wore a white and black shirt with khaki pants. "We could tell you and your sister about the time I beat your Uncle Riku in a spar when we were around your age." He pointed at Riku.

Zephyr and Apolla looked at their uncle. Riku was glaring at Roxas. Everyone laughed.

"Let's save that for another time," Kairi said. She wore a pink dress over a pair of off-white pants. "I don't think we will be able to get away with not telling this story." At that point, everyone looked at Apolla, and agreed that it was inevitable; they were going to have to tell it.

Roxas looked at Zephyr, Apolla, and the boy in the corner, and asked "Should we use the same names as last time?" They all nodded.

"It sounds more exciting that way," Zephyr added.

Sora started the story off. "Not long ago, three children—in this case we'll say their names are Sora, Riku, and Kairi—who dreamed of travelling away from their home and seeing other worlds."

The three children in the room laughed at the thought of their family members using their names in the story, like they usually did.

"One night, their dream came true, but not at all how they imagined. On that fateful night, the three friends were separated, each sent to a different world. Sora was given a gift that had been sought after by many: the ability to wield a mighty weapon that was shaped like a key. With this weapon, he was able to fight off enemies that threatened the balance between the light and the darkness."

Apolla looked over at her Aunt Naminé. She was drawing in a sketchbook that she always seemed to bring with her.

"During the search for his missing friends, Sora made two new friends—we'll say their names are Donald and Goofy—who helped him on his journey to find Riku and Kairi, to find their missing king, and to destroy the darkness that was threatening all worlds. They travelled to the different worlds, making sure they were safe. In one of those worlds, he found his friend Riku. But something was wrong. Sora noticed that Riku's heart had been touched by darkness, a darkness that had been tempted by Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. Riku was being used by him, because Ansem only wanted to use him as a host. Sora wanted to save his friend, and in time, he did. He saved both Riku and Kairi from the clutches of darkness, and defeated Ansem. When the time came, Sora and his friends closed the door to darkness. However, this meant that they had locked the missing King and Riku in the Realm of Darkness. The trio had lost their friends once again. Promising to return with Riku, Sora leaves Kairi behind. She understands, and returns to their world. Sora, with Donald and Goofy by his side, continued on another journey."

"Wow," Apolla chimed in. "Poor Riku and the King!"

This time Naminé spoke. "Leave the next part to me, Sora. You always seem to forget, no matter how many times I tell you."

Sora blushed, and scratched the back of his head.

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked on for many days, searching for Riku and the King. That is, until they came to a strange castle owned by a mysterious organization. They walked in, believing that they might find them there. But in this castle," she paused a moment, and then continued. "They lost their memories. They defeated some of the Organization members, and saved a girl named Naminé—that's what we'll go with for now—who was the reason why they lost their memories in the first place, because she had power over Sora's memories and those connected to him. The Organization forced her to strip him of his memories, making him forget things that were important to him, people that were special to him. She felt guilty, and helped to put their memories back together again. They were put to sleep in order for her to put them together again."

Roxas took this time to jump in and start the next part of the story. "Meanwhile," he started, "another boy—his name will be Roxas—who was a member of the Organization, was living his existence carrying out missions and doing what he was told to do. During the afternoons, when he was done with a mission, he would eat ice cream with a young man and a girl around his age—their names are going to be Axel and Xion, okay?—and talked about whatever came to mind."

He didn't look too excited to start the next part.

"But Xion left, running away from the people who had created her. She found out that she was created to not only hurt Roxas, but to also keep a hold of memories that didn't belong to her. She decided to give them back, and no longer existed. Roxas was devastated, and left the Organization as well, because they kept him in the dark about everything. He met Riku, who wanted him to become a part of Sora once again, and give him the memories he had. Roxas fought Riku, and lost. He was taken to an abandoned mansion, and put into a simulated town, until the time came for him to give Sora what he needed to wake up. Roxas lived in that town for seven days. He met Naminé, and she told him the truth, and what he needed to know. He was found by his old friend Axel, who tried to convince him to come back to the Organization with him. But instead he followed Naminé, and became a part of Sora."

Roxas fell silent, and looked at the floor. Riku took over.

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy woke up, not remembering how they got to where they were," he began. He wore a white shirt over a yellow long sleeved shirt with dark blue jeans. "The only things they could remember were the events that took place before they arrived at the castle. They decided to continue looking for Riku and the King. While they were searching, Xemnas, the leader of the Organization and looked a lot like Ansem the Seeker of Darkness, had Kairi kidnapped. Sora looked for her as well. Axel helped the trio look for Kairi, and was lost as well. Sora, Donald, and Goofy eventually found all of their friends, and eliminated the remaining members of the Organization. They briefly met Roxas and Naminé, who helped them to escape. When they became a part of Sora and Kairi once again, they finally went home."

"Man, what an awesome story!" Zephyr exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Apolla questioned. "You were the one who wanted to hear a different story."

Zephyr and Apolla looked as though they were about to have an argument, so Kairi stepped in to finish off the story. "Not long after they had been home did the King send Sora, Riku, and Kairi a letter, asking them to mend the hurting of those who were lost. This included Roxas, Axel, Naminé, Xion, and three others who, like Sora and Riku, held the power to wield key-like weapons. The King also told them that a man named Xehanort was back. The three joined forces with Donald, Goofy, and the King, bringing back those who were lost, and bringing an end to Xehanort once and for all. When they were sure that the worlds were safe, they returned to their homes, and lived out their lives the way they wished."

"Now you can say that was an awesome story, Zephyr," Apolla pointed out.

Zephyr frowned. But the look on his face afterward worried his sister. "How about the story Uncle Roxas was talking about?" She sighed, knowing that was coming. Riku frowned.

"Well, I think it's about time we left," Riku said. "It's getting late." He looked over to the boy standing in a corner of the room, his arms folded. He had blonde hair, just like Naminé's, and green, piercing eyes like Riku. He was currently wearing a red and black tank top with baggy tan shorts. "You ready to go, Ren?"

"I guess so," Ren reluctantly replied. He didn't seem to want to leave.

Sora seemed to have picked this up, because he said, "Why don't you just leave him here, Riku? He's more than welcome to stay over."

"Yeah, that's fine. It's probably safer that way." He looked out Apolla's bedroom window, and stared at the island where he had played at when he was a boy.

"What do you mean by that, Uncle Riku?" Apolla asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "Just being safe, that's all. It is dark outside."

Apolla could only nod.

"Well, time for bed, kiddos!" Sora announced. Roxas winced at this. He hated that nickname.

"Alright," Apolla said. "Night, everyone!" She turned to Zephyr and Ren, who were, for some strange reason, snickering. She walked towards them and started to push them out the door.

"Zephyr's room is that way!" The boys left, yelling "Good night!" as they ran off, and slammed the bedroom door shut.

"Good night, Apolla," Kairi said. She ushered everyone out of the room, turned off the light, and closed the door. Apolla yawned, closed her eyes, and immediately went to sleep. Not even the sounds from the boys' snores could wake her.


	2. Destiny Islands

Author's Note: Thank you to those who read and reviewed this story. I honestly didn't know if anyone would think this one was good. So thank you!

Here's another chapter for you guys to enjoy. I really don't have much more to say.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One: Destiny Islands<strong>

"Sometimes I wish we could just tell them the truth," Naminé said. "Maybe it will just be better that way."

Roxas knew where she was going with this. He had the same feeling. "I wish we could, too. I don't exactly like keeping them in the dark." He knew from experience.

"Listen," Sora began. "I don't want to either, but I also don't want them to be afraid of something possibly attacking them when they walk out the door."

Kairi nodded.

"I wouldn't mind it if they knew," Riku added. Everyone stared at him, surprised that he would say something that wasn't exactly like him at all. "I don't want Ren to find out the hard way and end up like I did."

Everyone grew silent. Sora was the only one who said anything. "I know how you feel. We all do. But you were able to overcome the darkness."

"But what if he can't?"

Sora put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry. He will."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you, Riku. If push comes to shove, and the same things that happened to you happen to him, I know he will find the right path and set things right. He's your son. That's how I know."

Riku looked at him, and smiled.

"Well, maybe we should go," Naminé chimed in. "It's getting late, and there's no telling if any of them will be out tonight."

No one argued with her. Even though they had gotten rid of Xehanort, and any possible chances that Kingdom Hearts was created, they knew that the Heartless were still at large. They still couldn't seem to get rid of them.

"Yeah," Roxas said. "I mean, even though a huge amount of them are gone, there's really no telling what will happen."

Roxas, Riku, and Naminé said their good-byes and began to walk home. Sora and Kairi watched them from the front door. Riku and Naminé were holding hands.

"See," Sora said. "What did I tell you? I knew he'd get the guts to ask her."

"I don't think anyone ever doubted you," Kairi agreed. "Then again, sometimes you can be wrong."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Kairi giggled. "At first, you thought that Roxas and Naminé were going to end up together, and that it would have been the same with Riku and Xion."

Sora frowned. "I got them confused. But I was right in the end."

"Yeah," Kairi agreed sarcastically. "Only in the end."

"Hey!"

They both laughed. They looked at each other, and then looked up at the night sky. Sora held Kairi closer.

"Sora," she began. "Do you think that Zephyr and Apolla will experience the Awakening?"

Sora thought about it. After a while, he said, "Yeah, eventually. But not anytime soon."

"Oh."

They continued to look up at the sky. No one disturbed them. It was quiet. The only thing that they could hear was the sound of the wind and the beating of their hearts. It was peaceful. But that changed in an instant, when Kairi said, "Sora, look!"

Sora looked in the direction she was pointing, thinking that she might have seen a shooting star. But to his great displeasure, it wasn't a shooting star he saw. What he saw was a star twinkling, and then just suddenly disappear.

"Did that star just, blink out?" he asked.

"That's not the only one!"

Right before their very eyes, they saw several stars blink out, one by one. Both of them were terrified.

"We need to tell the others!" Kairi suggested. "And fast!"

"Yeah," Sora said. "We also need to tell the King—I mean, Mickey. He may have an idea of what's going on."

Kairi nodded, and raised an eyebrow at him because he had called the King by his name.

"What? He asked me to call him by his name."

"Okay, but we need to warn everyone we know."

"Alright," Sora said, nodding his head. "You go warn the others, and I'll write to Mickey."

Kairi nodded and ran after their friends. Sora stopped her all of the sudden.

"You think you can handle it?"

She clenched her fist, and raised it close to her heart. "Yeah," she said. "I believe I can."

Then she left. Sora smiled, and then ran into the house, remembering what he was supposed to be doing. He took out a pen and some paper, and began writing.


	3. Bustin' Up on the Beach

Author's Note: Wow. Three updates in one day! I'm shocked at myself, honestly. One of those updates was for a completely different story, too.

Anyway, sorry that last chapter was short. The original chapter would have been longer, but with the way I had written it, it needed to be broken up into two. So here's the rest of it. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two: Bustin' Up on the Beach<strong>

"Personally," Zephyr began. "I think it's just some way of telling us that it's real, that our parents actually did those things." He swung his wooden sword at his sister, trying to make contact.

"Everything that happened in the story you mean?" Apolla asked, trying to clarify her brother's point. She swung her wooden sword as well, but unlike Zephyr, she hit him squarely in the arm. He winced, but made no sound.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "I mean, it sounds too good to be true, but then the way they were telling it to us—"

"It was almost as if it actually happened to them," Ren added, knowing exactly where Zephyr was going."

"So, then if it's all real," Apolla started, dodging one of Zephyr's attacks. "Then we really need to practice if we ever end up facing the darkness and fighting it." This time she blocked one of his attacks, and then counter-attacked. It smacked Zephyr right on top of the head.

"OW!"

"Sorry!"

Zephyr, Apolla, and Ren had gotten up early to come out to the island. It was there they had spent each day playing when they were little. It was their favorite place to be.

They were currently taking turns sparring against each other, showing each other what they were made of. It was Zephyr's turn to face Apolla, and it wasn't turning out very well…for him.

"I don't know, Apolla," Ren said. "You seem to be a natural at this. I think she's got you beat, Zeph."

She only shrugged.

"Aw, man!" Zephyr exclaimed. "Alright then. It's me versus you now, Ren!"

Apolla stood back and watched as the two battled it out. By the time Zephyr finally got a hit on Ren (both were equal in strength), their friends Aqua, Ven, Marlene, and Denzel had arrived on the scene.

"Oh, hi guys!" Apolla called out.

"Hiya!" Ven called back. He looked like he could have been Roxas's twin. He was wearing a white shirt over a silver long-sleeved shirt with khaki pants. He wore a belt that had a silver, boxy heart pendant on it. He ran to join them, so he could watch with hope that Zephyr might win this match. He had seen Apolla give him a brutal beating right as they were arriving.

To the trio, Aqua and Ven were more like friends of the family. But with the way they treated them, you could have mistaken them for much older siblings. They were just closer to their parents' age.

"Where's Terra?" Ren asked. Zephyr had gotten him on the side of his leg. He winced, and swung to get him back.

"He's at your house. Your dad had to talk to him about something," Aqua replied. She wore a dark blue tank top with black shorts. The belt she wore over her tank top and around her waist had a blue-silver pendant that also looked like a boxy heart.

"Oh. I wonder what it's about."

Ven and Aqua shrugged. They knew it had to be important.

"Well," Marlene jumped in. She wore a white dress and had a pink bow in her hair. "We shouldn't worry about it. Let's have fun while we can!"

"Huh?" Zephyr asked. He dodged Ren's attack.

"We can't stay too long," Denzel added in. He wore a brown t-shirt with a black short-sleeved jacket over it with dark khaki pants. "Our parents want us home early. We've got company coming in today and they want us to be there."

"Oh."

Fortunately for Zephyr, he beat Ren in their match. It just took him longer to do so than he thought. Ren and Apolla went head to head this time, and it ended in a draw.

"Okay," Ren said. "Redo."

"I don't know, Ren. How about I take you guys on?"

Everyone turned to see who had joined them. Zephyr smiled.

"Hey, Uncle Roxas! Aunt Xion!" Zephyr called out.

"Morning!" Ren and Apolla said together.

"So, you guys are sparring, huh?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah," Zephyr said. "We want to get strong enough to fight the darkness. You know, if it's real."

"Really?" Xion asked. She looked at Roxas, but he only shrugged.

"Absolutely," Apolla said. "And even if it isn't we still want to know whether or not we can defend ourselves and whatnot."

Roxas looked at Xion and smiled. She knew what that particular smile meant. "Really, Roxas?"

"Why not? I think they could handle it."

Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren looked at each other, and then looked at Aqua and Ven. They looked just as confused as they were.

Roxas turned to his niece and nephews and asked, "Who wants to spar against me first?"

Three hand shot straight up in the air.

xxx

When the four were finally done sparring, the day had turned into the afternoon. Denzel and Marlene headed for home just as Apolla went up against Roxas.

As they finished up the standings were this: Apolla beat Roxas hands down, and Ren and Zephyr had just barely made it.

"Alright, I think that's good for today," Roxas said. All three of the kids were sitting up against the wall, trying to catch their breath."

"Man, Uncle Roxas," Zephyr exhaled. He was panting the worst of the bunch. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Oh, when you've been around," he said.

"Alright," Xion said, changing the subject. "Who wants ice cream?" She was holding a cooler that nobody seemed to notice.

That gave the kids enough energy to bolt right up and race for their usual spot. Aqua, Ven, Roxas, and Xion laughed at the sudden burst of energy.

Everyone headed in the same direction as the trio—the paopu tree on the small island that was connected to the much larger one by a bridge.

They all grabbed a spot by the tree and got an ice cream. Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren grabbed a spot on the tree where there was room. Aqua, Ven, Roxas, and Xion sat on the sand in front of them, their feet dangling of the edge.

"There's nothing like a good ice cream to refresh you," Roxas said.

The trio nodded. It was their favorite flavor—sea-salt ice cream.

They looked out toward the ocean. Everyone was quite, enjoying their ice cream and watching the sun set. Zephyr was the first to break the silence.

"Do you think that there are other worlds out there?" he asked.

"There are," Ren said. "I just know it."

Aqua, Ven, Roxas, and Xion looked at each other. Roxas and Ven looked down at their feet, almost mimicking each other. Aqua and Xion bit their lips.

"Then we could go on adventures, too!" Apolla exclaimed. "Just like in the story."

"Yeah!" the boys exclaimed. Zephyr looked down at the group in front of them. They looked at him just in time for him to see the worried expressions on their faces. They turned back towards the sunset. He became worried as well.

"Are you guys okay?"

Aqua was the first to speak. "Yeah, we're fine." She looked at Ven, and then the others. They shook their heads. "I'm gonna go ahead and head home. Terra's probably wondering where I am."

"Yeah," Ven agreed. "Me too!"

They waved and said good-bye. The trio did the same. They turned around and continued to watch the sunset.

Apolla looked down at Roxas and Xion, and asked, "Is there some truth to the story you guys told us last night?"

They hesitated in answering Apolla straight away. Zephyr saved them.

"There's gotta be, right?" he wondered. "I mean, every story does."

"Yeah," Ren said. "It's definitely true."

"How do you know?"

Ren shrugged. "I just do. I've just got this feeling." He put his free hand over his heart.

"Should we tell them?" Xion whispered to Roxas.

"I want to tell them," he replied. "But that's for Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Naminé to decide, not us."

"Yeah," Xion agreed. "But still, I want to tell them, too."

Roxas nodded. He looked back towards the sunset, remembering when he used to sit up at a certain clock tower, eating ice cream with Xion and their friend, Axel. He grabbed Xion's free hand and put it in his, and smiled.

"Alright, guys," he finally said. "I think it's about time that we all headed for home."

Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren all groaned. They loved moment like this when they were on the island, and hated it when they ended. But they didn't argue, and started to make their way towards their boats. Apolla and Zephyr were the first to get to their boats, and decided to race each other back to their house.

"Hey, Ren!" Zephyr called out. "You wanna race with us?" Roxas and Xion laughed as they climbed into their boats and headed for home.

"Nah," Ren called back. "I've got something I want to do before I leave. I'll meet up with you later."

Zephyr shrugged, and started to paddle. He wanted to beat Apolla home.

Ren, instead of making his way towards his boat, headed towards the secret place. He walked through to the small room, and walked to a part of the rock wall that was closest to a door that had no doorknob. On that piece of wall, there was a picture that Apolla and he had drawn were they were younger. It just about mimicked the drawing right above theirs. The only difference was that in the drawing above, the boy and girl were handing each other paopu fruits. His Uncle Sora had told him that this was of Aunt Kairi and himself. It was really special to him.

Ren picked up the nearest small rock he could find. He began to add to the picture of Apolla and himself. When he was done, the drawing of himself was handing the drawing of Apolla a paopu fruit.

xxx

That night, Sora received a message in a bottle—literally. Kairi had found the bottle during her usual late night walk. She ran into the house, and handed it to Sora.

"It's from the King," she managed to say.

Sora took the bottle from her and grabbed the letter out of it. He unrolled it, and read the letter. He frowned.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked.

"It's just as we feared," Sora said. "The worlds are falling to the darkness after all."

"Oh no! That's horrible."

"it's not just that," Sora added. "It's worse. It seems that some of the Princesses of Heart are missing, too!"

Kairi gasped. She had met some of them in person. "But who could be behind it all? Xehanort's gone."

"That's what's got the King confused, too," Sora said. "He said that he went to see Yen Sid about it."

Kairi nodded. She would never doubt the King, especially after everything he had done for them. But something was bothering her, and Sora could see it from her expression.

"What's wrong?"

"We got rid of Xehanort. And now the Heartless are at it again. But they can't be doing it on their own, not completely. What if someone's telling them to do it? Someone we know who wants control over all worlds?"

Sora looked confused for a moment. Then he understood what she was trying to say. His eyes widened. He knew exactly who she was talking about.

"Maleficient," they said together.


	4. Dive into the Heart

Author's Note: Sorry this update took so long. I actually had trouble trying to write this chapter, surprisingly.

That, and I've been pretty busy with work and house stuff, and playing Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Alice: Madness Returns (great games by the way. Alice is definitely not for the faint of heart).

But enough with the excuses! On with the chapter!

P.S. Finally figured out how to put the borders on. Now I feel kinda dumb. Oh well!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three: Dive into the Heart<strong>

Apolla's Dream

It felt as though she was falling, sinking into something she really couldn't see. Maybe it was because before she went crashing through the water, she could see the sun setting, and that blinded her momentarily. After that, she couldn't feel anything, not even the water swirling around her. It was as though she were floating in air. She opened her eyes, and saw absolutely nothing. She could only feel the cool air as she was falling down deeper into the dark abyss. Surprisingly, she was able to flip around so that whenever she reached the bottom, she would land on her feet instead of her head. Again, to her utter surprise, she landed softly on level ground.

Apolla looked around to see if she could find any clue as to where she was. She couldn't see anything. She took a step forward, and part of the floor began to come apart, revealing a platform. The parts of the floor that had been coming apart turned into doves that flew around her, and then disappeared. She looked down at the platform that had been created. On it was a picture of a girl with blonde hair wearing a blue and white dress. She was holding a tea cup in her right hand and a mushroom in her left.

"So much to do," a voice called out. "So little time."

That's weird, Apolla thought. That voice sounds familiar.

The voice continued. "Take your time, don't be afraid. The door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it?"

Apolla slowly walked forward, answering the voice's question.

Three objects appeared on three platforms. The voice spoke as a sword, a staff, and a shield appeared out of nowhere. "Power sleeps within you. If you give it form, it will give you strength. Choose well."

Hmm, Apolla thought. What suits me better?

She walked up to each and looked them over. She stopped right in front of the sword. Feeling that this was the right weapon for her, she picked it up.

"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Do you choose this form?"

She nodded, and said "Yes." It may be a "sword of terrible destruction", but if it is used in the right way, it won't.

The sword disappeared from her hand. Just then, the floor beneath her began to break all around her. She felt herself fall in the midst of the shards of glass. She was once again falling through the darkness.

Apolla was getting closer to another platform. She could make out the picture of a woman with long black hair, wearing a turquoise blue top that showed off her stomach, along with the same colored pants. Apolla landed on her feet again, and as soon as she made contact, the sword reappeared in her hand.

"You have gained the right to fight," the voice said.

Suddenly, black creatures appeared out of the floor. She swung at one with the sword. It made contact and caused the creature to disappear. "Alright!" the voice said. "You've got it!"

Two more of them appeared. "There will be times when you have to fight."

She knew what the voice was talking about, or, at least, she thought she knew what it was talking about. She attacked all of the creatures, causing them to disappear. When the last one was gone, black spots began to cover the surface of the platform. They dragged Apolla in, consuming her in the darkness.

Apolla struggled, gasping for air. She opened her eyes, and notice that she was on another platform. She got up and noticed a door just opposite her. The platform she was now on had a picture of a girl with red-brown hair, wearing a white and black tank top with lavender shorts. She had a lavender skirt over the shorts. Apolla looked at the girl's face.

"Mom?" she wondered.

She looked back at the door and walked over to it. She tried opening it, but her hand went right through it. That's odd. I can't open it. She turned around just in time to see a chest appear out of nowhere. She walked over to it, opened, and found a Potion inside.

This will come in handy, Apolla thought. I think.

Suddenly, she heard a chime. She turned around and saw that the door had become solid. She walked over to the door and opened it. When it opened, a bright light shone, blinding her momentarily. She opened her eyes, and walked on through.

The door had taken Apolla to another platform. On this platform there was a picture of a woman with brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail. She was wearing a blue and white dress, and was holding a book.

Apolla walked around the platform, wondering what she was going to have to do on this platform. As if answering her question, more of the black creatures appeared, looking for a fight. Apolla summoned the sword back to her, and began attacking them.

They clawed at her. She dodged and blocked her way out of the cluster she was in the middle of. She swung the sword at them, making contact. One by one they disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When they were gone, stain-glass stairs appeared off the side, leading up to another platform.

When Apolla got to the top, she saw a picture of a girl with blonde hair, wearing a white sundress. She recognized this girl immediately.

"Aunt Naminé?"

A light shone in the middle of the platform. She walked up to it immediately. The familiar voice spoke again.

"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes."

This rang true. When Apolla turned around, she saw her shadow, which had grown quite a large, pop up from the ground. It stood up and began to change form. Apolla, a bit frightened, began to back away from the giant creature in front her slowly. When it was completely standing up, she turned and ran. The only thing that kept her from escaping was the fact that she was on a platform that went nowhere. She was trapped, and there was only one thing she could do.

"But don't be afraid, and don't forget…"

She turned around, sword bared. She was ready to face the huge black thing in front of her.

It was the first to attack. It pulled its arm back, conjured up magic, and slammed its fist into the platform. Apolla went for it, aiming for the hand and the head, getting a few good hits in before the creature pulled its hand out of the ground. She noticed that it didn't leave a huge hole in the platform. She ran up to the creature and jumped, swinging the sword, trying to hit the creature's hands as much as possible. It attacked her by shooting purple fireballs at her from its stomach (what was left of it anyway). She dodged these, and ran back to hit the hands. She managed to hit them three times, and climbed on its back and whacked the creature on the head. This did the trick. Apolla jumped off of its back, and backed away from it as it fell.

Her weapon disappeared from her hand. This startled Apolla, and when she looked back at the creature, she saw that it had stuck its hands into the ground, causing the floor to be covered with black spots. The darkness grabbed a hold of her, dragging her down with the creature. As it swallowed her up, she could hear the voice calling out to her.

"Don't be afraid," it said. "You hold one of the mightiest weapons of all. And don't forget—"

Apolla had been completely consumed. Everything went black.

"You are one of the few who will open the door."

* * *

><p>Well, I had originally planned to describe Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren's Awakenings in the same chapter, but this chapter ended up being longer than I thought. Then I planned on the next chapters being about Ren and Zephyr's Awakenings.<p>

So, what do you guys think? Should I go ahead with my original plan? Or should continue on with the story and briefly talk about theirs? Just leave your thoughts in a review or message me that way I know how you guys feel about it.


	5. Destati

Author's Note: Here's Part Two of the Awakenings. I just ended up keeping Ren and Zephyr's Awakenings separate instead of interchanging between both. I didn't want anyone to get confused.

I'm just gonna warn you guys now that it may be awhile before I update again. I'm also working on Re: Kingdom Hearts (my other fanfic) and one of my friends lent me their copy of American McGee's Alice, so I'm going to be working on those (I'm so excited :}). But hopefully you guys won't have to wait for too long!

Don't have much more to say but enjoy and please review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four: Destati<strong>

_Ren's Dream_

Ren opened his eye and saw that he was no longer in his bedroom. He was standing on top of a lit platform made of glass. He could see pictures of people that were around his age—two boys and a girl—and head shots of a duck and a dog. The picture was a head shot, and Ren saw that she had short, red-brown hair and blue eyes. One of the pictures of the boys was a head shot, too—this boy had long, spikey silver hair and piercing green eyes.

The picture of the other boy was full body, and Ren could see all of the boy's features. The boy had brown hair that was spiked in every direction. His eyes were closed. He was wearing a red jumpsuit with a short-sleeved and hooded black, navy blue, and white over shirt that was left open. He wore a crown necklace, oversized yellow shoes, and was holding a key-shaped sword.

_Wait_, Ren thought. _Is that…Uncle Sora? It can't be…_ Ren never got to finish that thought, because three objects appeared out of the darkness: a sword, a staff, and a shield.

As each object appeared, a voice called out in the darkness. "Power sleeps within you, but if you give it form, it will give you strength. Choose well."

The voice sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't quite put a name to it.

He walked around and examined each object that was floating in front of him. He ended up settling on the shield. He liked swords a lot, considering his favorite thing in the world was his wooden sword, but he knew that he would really be able to protect people better with a shield. All the objects disappeared.

After a moment, the shield reappeared in Ren's hand in a sparkle of light. It was only after he had gotten used to the shield in his grip did black creatures appear from the darkness.

This startled Ren. The only thing he believed he knew about the creatures was that they needed to be attack. He mainly thought this because one of the creatures took the effort of attempting to scratch him. He threw the shield at each one, catching it just in time to block an attack, and dodged every time one of the creatures that attempted to scratch him.

When the last yellow-eyed creature was gone, white creatures appeared just off of the edge of the platform. Ren never noticed them watching him fight the black creatures. They seemed to be studying him.

Ren could tell that these creatures were different than the ones he just defeated. He braced himself for an attack. The white creatures walked on to the platform and went after him.

Ren used the same technique he used on the black creatures on these guys, but with some difficulty. There were times he had to jump just to land a hit in them. The rest of the time he dodged and blocked. He even used an ability called Reverse that conveniently was at his disposal. Once the last of them were disposed of, a door appeared. The familiar voice from earlier spoke again.

"Be careful," it said. "Beyond that door lies a completely different world. But don't be afraid."

Ren walked towards the door, ready to continue on. He heard the voice whisper in his ear "Don't stop walking…" He turned the handle, and walked through.

On the other side of the door, Ren noticed that there were several more platforms he had to walk up to get to the next door. The platforms were just like the first one he had been on, except that they were different colors—green, red and light blue. On his way to the top, he fought groups of white and black creatures. When he finally made it to the top platform, he walked through the door.

There was only one platform in this next area. A light shone on the platform, and Ren walked up to it.

He heard rustling behind him. Ren turned around quickly. At the moment, he saw a dark figure that had hands, feet, and other human appendages, just like he did. But it transformed itself into a giant creature. It bore the same insignia on itself like the white creatures. The difference was that it was light and dark blue with some shades of grey, and had tentacles coming out of its head.

Ren slowly backed away, and then turned to run. Realizing at the last moment that he really had nowhere to run, he turned back around to face the monster.

At the start of the battle, the monster had bound Ren's hands and feet. He struggled to break himself free. The monster had disappeared momentarily, but then came back, ready to hit Ren. Just as the creature's fist was about to make contact, he flipped himself around so that he could hit it away with the shield. That did some damage, but it came back towards him, grabbing of hold of Ren and throwing him in the air. Ren thought quickly. He flipped the shield in front of him, put his feet on it, and landed on top of its head with enough force to do damage and to knock the creature out. When it fell off of the platform, Ren took that time to re-coop.

Within seconds, the platform turned upside down. As if by instinct, Ren jammed the shield's bottom corner into the platform as he slid to the edge. The monster let go of the platform, breaking the shield loose and causing Ren to fall. As he was falling, it conjured up a giant ball of darkness, and threw it at Ren. He flipped around and threw the shield like a Frisbee through the dark ball. This caused an explosion, and both of them fell back to the platform with a thud.

Ren was the first one up. He picked up the shield and began whacking the monster in the head. This did the trick, and it was done for.

_Yeah_, he thought. _Take that!_

But victory was short lived. The creature, as it was disappearing, began to emit darkness from its form, swallowing Ren up. He struggled through the darkness, unable to breathe.

It wasn't until he felt a hand grab his wrist and pull him out that he actually woke up.

xxx

_Zephyr's Dream_

Zephyr didn't know how he got there. One minute he was looking up at the ceiling in his bedroom, barely keeping his eyes open. The next minute he was staring into the darkness. He was surprised to be able to see at all, but then he looked down at his feet, and saw that he was standing on a lit platform. On the platform, there were different colored stars—one blue, one green, and one orange.

_Those look like Aqua's Wayfinder!_ He thought. He had seen it many times. She usually pulled it out when she was remembering something.

Above each Wayfinder, an object was suspended in midair. Above the blue one, there was a staff. A sword was above the orange Wayfinder, and a shield was above the green one. Zephyr figured that he had to choose one, so he walked up to each one and examined each. He immediately was drawn to the staff. He took it in his hands, and smiled.

_I think this one is perfect,_ he thought.

"You've gained the right to fight," a voice called in the distance. Zephyr could have sworn he heard it somewhere before. The sword and shield disappeared, leaving him with only the staff and no time to change his mind.

Black creatures with yellow eyes and slender, white creatures appeared. Zephyr was startled at first, but the wheels in his head began to click.

_So I have to fight these things,_ he thought. He held on to the staff tightly and began to swing. As long as the black creatures weren't hiding in the ground, they were very easy to dispose of. A couple of times he had to dodge out of the way of one of their attacks, or was scratched by one of them, but he stood his ground and they were gone.

The white creatures were more difficult to get rid of. They seemed to be much smarter than the black creatures. Sometimes they would dodge an attack by jumping in the air and remained suspended. Zephyr took this time to strategize, remembering when they would jump in the air. Then he attacked. A few blocks and dodges later, the white creatures were gone.

"That takes care of that," he said. He felt pretty good about himself. _Bring it on!_ He thought.

Someone must have heard him, because in that moment, the platform began to shatter. There was nowhere for Zephyr to go but down.

Zephyr was afraid that he would be falling forever. He wanted it to end and be back in his room. It wasn't long before another platform was shining up at him, giving him some relief from falling. On the platform, he could see a picture of a boy in a white and black shirt wearing khaki pants and armored shoes. He was also wearing armor, and Zephyr could see the shape of a boxed heart that was strapped to the boy's chest. Zephyr immediately recognized who this was.

"Ven?" He was shocked, and he didn't know why. He righted himself, and landed softly on the platform feet first.

He walked around. He saw a door that was just opposite of where he was standing, and walked toward it. He went to turn the handle and open the door, but it vanished. Zephyr turned around, and a new enemy appeared.

These creatures were different from the ones he had fought earlier. They were very much like the shadow-like creatures he had disposed of; the only difference was that these ones were blue and had red eyes. Zephyr went to work getting rid of these guys. He studied them, hoping to see if they had a trick to fighting them. It turned out that there wasn't. They fought just like the shadow-like creatures. He struck them with the staff, and one by one, they disappeared.

When the last one was gone, the door reappeared. A small chest also appeared out of nowhere. Zephyr quickly opened the chest, took the Potion that lay in it, and ran for the door before it disappeared. He turned the door, and ran inside.

Once he was through the door, Zephyr found himself on another platform. He looked down to see who's picture was on it this time, and notice two boys on this platform. He recognized Ven as one of them, who was holding a key-like weapon now, but he was confused as to who the other boy was. He looked remarkably like Zephyr's father. The only difference was that this boy's hair was jet black. He was also wore a black and red suit that had a navy blue, cape-like dressing that was belted on at the waist. He, too, was holding a key-like weapon, but it looked dark and menacing.

_Wonder who that is,_ he thought. _And why he looks like dad_.

He looked back up, into the darkness surrounding him. There was a small light shining just above where he was standing. He looked right into it, and closed his eyes. _Please take me back to my room,_ he wished. He wasn't sure why he was there in the first place. He had so many questions now, because of all the things he had seen. _Why is all of this happening? This is just a dream, right?_

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard something shuffle behind. He opened his eyes, hoping he would be in his room. He was disappointed to see that he wasn't, and turned around to see what had made that sound.

He gaped at the creature that was now in front of him. More like the person in front of him. Zephyr really couldn't tell what exactly was in front of him, but he knew that he didn't look like _that_.

The being in front of Zephyr looked exactly like him, as if he was standing in front of a mirror. But this reflection was not him, and he knew it. He knew for a fact that he didn't have red eyes and that he didn't have blue skin, or was wearing dark blue clothes. It was _not_ him.

The being was in a fighting stance, with a staff in hand. Zephyr knew what was coming, and knew it was futile to try to run. There was nowhere to run. He summoned the staff to aid him, and took up a fighting stance as well. And then, he attacked.

The imitation mimicked Zephyr's every move. Whenever he went to throw the staff at the creature, it would block the attack, and then do the same. Its attack would hit him. But Zephyr, unlike his imitation, was a fast learner. Whenever this happened again, he blocked or dodged out of the way.

As he was fighting it, Zephyr noticed that whenever he didn't think he was going to ever hit it, or thought that the battle was never going to end, the imitation got stronger.

_So it feeds off of negative energy, or negative thoughts_, Zephyr thought, the wheels in his head clicking in place. _Then I'll just have to think happy thoughts. I'm gonna win AND I'll be back in my bedroom when it's over_.

Zephyr immediately noticed a difference in his enemy. It seemed that positive thinking was making it weaker. "I might actually have a shot!" he said.

He took advantage of the moment and swung with all of his might, getting three or four really good hits in. The fifth time he tried, the imitation dodged and did a counterattack. It made contact, knocking Zephyr back. Its victory didn't last that long. While he was still in the air, Zephyr did a backflip and landed on his feet, weapon ready. He ran at it, dodging its attack, quickly hitting it back. He attempted a small combo, which did the job just fine. The imitation surprised him with raid of strikes, which consisted of it flying through the air repeatedly. Zephyr was able to dodge several of these, but was hit by the last three times it flew by.

Zephyr's left arm was cut by these last few attacks. He pulled out the Potion he had obtained earlier, uncorked the bottle, and downed it. He felt its effects immediately, and the cut was gone. There was no sign that he had been hurt with the exception of the slit in his sleeve and the blood that had stained it.

Zephyr turned right in time to block his imitation's next attack. He rolled right behind it, and strung a series of combos, hoping to bring the creature to its knees.

This did the trick. Zephyr jumped out of the being's way, and watched as it fell. He allowed himself to jump in the air and let out a whoop. But his smile disappeared when he saw darkness emitting from his imitation. It looked up at him, and leaped. It grabbed a hold of him, allowing them both to be consumed by the darkness. Zephyr struggled, not willing to go down. It seemed that the creature wasn't planning on going down without a fight, because its hold on Zephyr grew stronger. But he never gave in.

As the darkness was enveloping them, Zephyr heard the mysterious voice calling out to him. "But don't be afraid," it said. "You hold one of the mightiest weapons of all. So don't forget—"

Zephyr was completely engulfed by the darkness. The creature had a small victory of its own. He closed his eyes, knowing that no matter what, he could no longer see what was in front of him.

He opened eyes anyway and sat straight up. He was breathing really hard. He looked over at his clock. It read 2:30 AM. He lay back down and closed his eyes, hoping for a better dream, hoping that everything that just happened was just that—a dream.

The last thing he heard when he was engulfed in the darkness, before he had woken up, was that mysterious voice. It had said…

"You will be one of the chosen ones to open the door."


	6. Shrouding Dark Cloud

Author's Note: So….I have a few things to say. 1) I'm sorry that it has been FOREVER since I have updated this fanfic. Life caught up with me big time, between watching my sister all the time and balancing work and night classes. 2) I admit that I did lose my spark on writing anything for any of my stories. 3) I want to thank KHLegacy for reminding my procrastinating and lazy butt about updating this fanfic. Like I said, caught up in life. I also wanted to try and finish _Re: Kingdom Hearts_. But, of course, lost my spark.

So I have ultimately decided to write again now that I have that spark back! And I'm going to try really, REALLY hard to keep up with it. So those of you who are reading this story and my other stories, be looking for updates, but don't expect them to be one on top of the other.

I won't keep you guys any longer, so, here is the fifth chapter of _Next Generation_. Enjoy, and please leave a review. I enjoy hearing your input. It makes me happy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five: Shrouding Dark Cloud<strong>

"I swear, it was like I had a twin!"

Zephyr had just finished telling Apolla about his dream. He had barely touched the bowl of cereal in front of him. He was still in his pajamas—a grey shirt with black sleeves and a pair of grey and black striped pajama bottoms.

"Well, how were you able to get out?" Apolla asked. She, too, was in her pajamas—a blue tank top with blue and grey striped shorts. She had just finished her bowl of cereal and was rinsing it off.

"I don't know," he replied. "I was completely consumed by the darkness. The only thing I could think of doing was closing my eyes. By the time I opened them, I was in my room."

"Strange," she mused.

Both had similar dreams, but not without having their differences. Apolla had only mentioned one enemy, and Zephyr mentioned three. She also had done a lot more falling, and didn't see many people she recognized.

They also paused because their mother had just walked in, a peculiar expression on her face.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Apolla asked. She had seen that looked before.

Kairi shook her head. "I'm fine," she answered. She was holding a piece of paper in her hand.

"Whatcha got there, Mom?" Zephyr asked, trying to change the subject.

"Nothing. Just a grocery list I wrote down last night. Do you have anything you need me to get when I go?"

"I'm good."

"Same here," Apolla said.

"Okay, well, if you change your minds," Kairi continued. "Just let me know."

"Okay. We're meeting Ren at the island, so we probably won't be back until after sunset."

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Fair enough. Have fun, and be safe." The last part was mainly added on with a worried look on their mother's face. With that, she headed out of the kitchen and went upstairs.

Once they knew she was no longer within earshot, the siblings continued on. "Do you think that Ren might have had the same dream?" Apolla asked. "More or less?"

"Hmm," Zephyr pondered. "Can't say for sure. We should just ask him when we get to the island."

"Good idea."

Zephyr inhaled what was left of his breakfast and the two of them headed to their rooms to change. He changed into a blue tank top, black shorts with assorted yellow belts, and a red and white over shirt. He was putting on his favorite pair of sneakers—black with yellow shoelaces—when Apolla walked in. She was wearing a lavender tank top with dark blue shorts and a black over shirt fashioned like a tank top, and had on her favorite blue Hightops on. She had her hair pulled up in a ponytail and braids with a bandana wrapped around her forehead. In her hands was a pair of goggles.

"Why do you wear those?" Zephyr asked.

"Because, I think that they look good on me," was Apolla's answer as she put them on around her neck.

"Still don't see the point."

She merely rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Are you ready to go, Zeph?"

"Yeah, yeah."

With that, the two headed out the door, and ran towards the harbor tout suite.

xxx

"What took you guys so long?" Ren asked. He was dressed in his usual red and blue tank and black and khaki pants, and his favorite blue and yellow sneakers.

"Sorry," Apolla said as she waved. "Zephyr gets ready as though he's a girl."

"Do not!" Zephyr argued.

Ren laughed, Apolla giggled, and Zephyr merely growled.

"So what's on the agenda for today?"

Ren shrugged. "The usual, I guess. Race, spar, and eat ice cream."

"Looking forward to the ice cream part," Zephyr said.

"Oooh!" Apolla exclaimed. "How about we go fishing, too?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Okay. Last one to the other side of the island has to spar with me first!" With that, Apolla ran off.

"Hey, no fair! You got a head start!"

"Zeph, she can't exactly spar with herself," Ren pointed out.

"Oh yeah!"

Ren just shook his head and took off, the younger friend trailing behind him.

When they made it to the other side, the boys noticed that Apolla had started hacking at some of the surrounding coconut trees, causing come coconuts to fall. They already saw that there was a small pile of wood set up in the middle of three logs in the middle of the beach, just back far enough that the waves couldn't reach it.

"'Bout time you two showed up, slow pokes!"

"Hey, you had a head start," Zephyr pointed out.

"What are you doing anyway?"

Apolla turned to face the boys. "Just getting something for us to drink after we've sparred and had lunch."

"Do you need any help?"

"Actually, Ren, can you get some drinking water?" she asked, handing him a gallon jug.

"Sure, no problem."

"What can I do?" Zephyr asked eagerly.

"You can grab your sword. We're sparring, sir."

"Aw, man!"

While Ren ran to get water, Apolla and Zephyr began hacking away at each other. As they were going at it, she noticed something different about the way her brother was fighting. When she was able to catch a break, she asked, "Zeph, have you been secretly practicing?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"The way you're fighting me now. You changed your fighting style."

"Sure did. Maybe that dream helped."

"Maybe," Apolla mused.

By the time Ren returned, Apolla and Zephyr came to a draw. "You mean you guys started without me?" he asked.

"Yep, and seems that Zeph's found some new strength."

"It was a tie," Zephyr proclaimed.

"Alright, Zeph!"

"Thanks, man."

Apolla grabbed the water jug from Ren so that he could spar against Zephyr. As they began, she placed the jug next to the coconuts near their makeshift camp. She sat down on the middle log and watched the two friends go at it.

_Zephyr sure has gotten stronger_, she thought. _Practicing must be helping him a lot!_

She couldn't help but think about the dream that she had. She had so many questions. _What door was the voice talking about? Who were all those other girls I saw?_ She had recognized her mom and Aunt Naminé, but that was only because of the pictures she had seen of them when they were younger. And because of Aunt Naminé's drawings. _But why were they in my dream?_

"Apolla?"

Ren broke her out of her thoughts? "Hmm?" she asked.

"I won!" Zephyr announced. "It's your turn to fight Ren!"

"So it is."

It was a close call for those two, but in the end, Ren had won, leaving Zephyr to gape at them.

"How did that happen?" Zephyr asked.

"Have you been secretly practicing, too?" Apolla asked.

Ren shrugged. "Maybe you should stay focused."

"I am focused." She regretted jumping to that conclusion so early. _Am I really focused?_

"Well, let's fish," Zephyr whined. "I'm hungry!"

xxx

It was starting to get late, so the trio headed back to the other side. Since Apolla had lost, she was left with the duty of buying ice cream for everyone. When she got back, Ren and Zephyr had already taken their seats on the Paopu tree.

"As promised," she said as she made it to the tree. She handed each boy an ice cream, and then sat down to enjoy hers.

"Thanks, sis."

"No prob."

The three of them sat there in silence, just watching the sunset. The sky was filled with oranges, reds, and purples, reflecting perfectly off of the waves. Apolla was halfway done with her ice cream when she finally broke the silence.

"Hey, Ren?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Do you have any weird dreams last night?" she inquired. "Like, any dreams that were inexplainable?"

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I did."

This was what she was expecting to hear.

"Strange."

"Why?"

"What was it about?"

"Well, I was standing on all of these different platforms, each with the same pictures on, but in different colors. I was fighting these weird black creatures. And white creatures, too. Heck, I even had to fight a huge creature with tentacles coming out of its head. I could tell it was closely related to the white creatures I was fighting. But you know the weird thing about it?"

"What?" Zephyr asked.

"The pictures were of our parents. Uncle Sora, Aunt Kairi."

"Uncle Riku and Aunt Naminé, too?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Because we had similar dreams, Ren," Apolla stated.

"Really?" Ren pondered this new information. _I thought that I was the only one._ "What do you think it means?"

Apolla shook her head, and Zephyr shrugged. "I…don't know."

The three fell silent, and turned back toward the sunset. It was getting late, and they needed to head home.

"Well," Zephyr said, trying to cheer the others up a bit. "Last one to the boats is a rotten seagull egg!" Without warning, he jumped from his seat on the tree and began to run for the small dock.

Ren and Apolla quickly followed suit.

xxx

Something was definitely amiss. Kairi was in the kitchen cleaning up the dinner dishes when she saw the storm beginning to form over the island where she used to play as a child. She would have thought it was just a regular thunderstorm, if the lightning wasn't a plasma purple color. Upon seeing that, she had the sinking feeling that what had happened to the islands all those years ago, was happening again.

She immediately closed the windows, shut the curtains, and ran into the living room.

Sora noticed his wife's horrified expression as she barged in, and it worried him. In his hands was the letter the King had sent. "What's the matter, Kairi?"

"It's happening," was all she managed to say. "Again."

Sora was confused by what she was saying, but realizing that Apolla and Zephyr were in the same room, he became understanding. "Hey, Apolla, Zephyr," he began, waiting for them to acknowledge him in some manner.

"Yeah, Dad?" Zephyr asked. Apolla gave their father her full attention.

"Can you guys go upstairs? Your mother and I need to talk."

"Sure thing," Apolla said.

Sora and Kairi watched as the two of them headed up the stairs. When they were no longer within earshot, Sora said, "Again? Are you sure?"

"Sora, there's a storm forming over the island. The same kind of storm that formed all those years ago."

Sora looked up towards where the stairs were and then down at his feet. Then, as if resolving an issue in his mind, he stood up quickly. "We can't let that happen again. We're going over there now, and dealing with whatever's going on before things get out of hand!"

"What about—?" Kairi could finish her question. She couldn't think of what would happen to the kids if the islands were lost again.

"I'm hoping that we'll be back and that it will be over with. Besides, they go over there to spar anyway. They should be fine if it came to that."

Kairi nodded and gave him a soft smile. "You're right. Let's go get Riku, Roxas, and Xion."

"Yeah. Hopefully they're already over there taking care things."

"Apolla," Kairi called up the stairs. "We're going over to Uncle Riku's. You're in charge while we're gone."

Apolla and Zephyr ran down the stairs. Kairi was hoping they wouldn't.

"Why is she always the one in charge?" Zephyr whined.

"Because I don't whine like you," was his sister's reply.

"I don't know how long we will be out," Sora began. "But if we're not back by the time you two go to bed, lock the doors and turn off all of the lights. Except for the study."

"Yes, Dad."

With that, Sora and Kairi hugged their children and headed out of the door. Kairi was the only one of them to linger at the door to get a good look at them before finally giving a soft smile and then closing the door.

Apolla and Zephyr ran upstairs and put on their shoes and grabbed their sparring swords.

"Are you sure we should follow them?" Apolla asked.

"Yes," Zephyr firmly replied. "Dad said that they can't let whatever happened to the islands years ago happen again. And I saw the storm Mom was talking about. That is definitely not your average storm."

"Yeah, I saw it, too. It really had her worried." By the time she had said this, they were already downstairs, and Zephyr was holding a piece of paper in his hands. "What's that?"

"It's a letter," Zephyr answered. After a brief glimpse, he said, "It's to Mom and Dad."

"Well, if it's theirs, then we probably shouldn't read it. It's probably none of our business."

"_Sora, Kairi_," Zephyr began.

Apolla sighed and shook her head.

Ignoring his sister, he continued. "_I got your letter, and I fear you may be right. Something is definitely up with the worlds. I talked to Yen Sid about it. It turns out that several of the Princesses of Heart have disappeared, as well as the appearance of an enormous amount of Heartless and Nobodies in every world. We're not sure who is behind it, but, if you can, we need your help to investigate what's going on, and help bring balance to the worlds once more. I've sent Riku a similar letter, so he should be informed as well. Please do whatever you can...and be careful. King Mickey._"

"King Mickey?" Apolla wondered. "Who's that?"

"And who are the Heartless?"

They were silent for a moment. Apolla couldn't help but think about the Princesses that were disappearing, and the Heartless appearing everywhere. _They've appeared in every world_, she thought. _But what does King Mickey mean by that?_That's when it hit her.

"Oh!"

This made Zephyr jump a little. "What?"

"Remember the story that Mom and Dad always tell us?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"They mentioned three friends who visit different worlds and save the boy's childhood friends."

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with the letter?"

"Darkness spread throughout the worlds. The Princesses that were mentioned in the letter, what if they're the same Princesses that Mom had told us about in one of her stories. Not our usual bedtime story, but some of her other ones. I mean, they all pretty much had to do with the same topic."

Zephyr opened his mouth to say something, but caught himself. He was confused at what his sister was saying. But after a while, the wheels began to click in his head.

"So, you're saying that everything that happened in the story," he finally said. "That was real?"

"I don't know for sure," Apolla said. "But it's a possibility."

"We should ask Ren what he thinks."

"And then ask our parents?"

"Seems like the only thing we can do," Zephyr said. "Either that, or assume that it is. And I hate doing that."

"I agree. Let's go get Ren and then head for the island," she suggested.

"Best go prepared." At that thought, Zephyr grabbed his sparring sword out of the far corner of the living room, and handed Apolla hers. She took it from him without hesitation, and nodded.

"Let's go, Zeph."

With that, Zephyr and Apolla ran out the door and into the direction of Ren's house.

Little did they know that on the small island miles behind them, a battle for the fate of Destiny Islands, and of all worlds, had only just begun.

* * *

><p>AN: DUH, DUH, DUH! Anyway, I am planning on getting a deviantart account so that you guys can have better access to visuals of the characters, keyblades, etc. Heck, I think I will even put concept art for some of the worlds on that account, along with visuals for _Re: Kingdom Hearts_. So, be looking for an update on my profile page, that way you guys can get more of a visual (and I need to show my art off to the world!). So, reviews anyone? I promise I don't bite.


	7. Night of Fate

Author's Note: Wow! I did not expect to get reviews like that. So thanks to XesmeKH, XphiaDP, and Destinydreamer for the awesome reviews. You guys rock. Also thanks to KHLegacy for getting my butt in gear. I know I thanked you last chapter for that, but still. THANK YOU! You're awesome.

Well, guys, here's chapter six of _Next Generation_. It definitely takes a twist, one that I didn't think would happen. Towards the end, the chapter sort of wrote itself. Destiny intervenes once again. But I think you guys will enjoy fate's designs. Hopefully you will. It was fun and kinda hard to write.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six: Night of Fate<strong>

As soon as Sora, Riku, and Kairi arrived on the smaller island, Shadows and Darkballs began to appear.

"Darkballs?" Sora questioned. "Really?"

"They shouldn't be here," Kairi said. "We usually only get Shadows, and that's it!"

"No," a voice behind the trio said. "We get Floods, too." The small group turned and noticed that Aqua and Terra had joined them. As Terra had said this, several Floods popped up.

"Right. Forgot about those."

"You should," Sora said as he slashed at a few Darkballs. "They feed on negativity."

"That, and Vanitas is gone," Terra added. "He was the one they came from. Guess they must have appeared on their own somehow."

It was true. With Vanitas gone and pretty much everyone staying positive, very few Unversed were seen nowadays.

"Still," Kairi said. "The Darkballs shouldn't be here."

"That just means that things are worse than we thought," Riku observed. He cast Dark Firaga, and ten Darkballs and several Shadows disappeared. Ten more of each appeared in their place. "A lot worse."

The five Keyblade Masters continued to bat away the Heartless and Unversed, heading for the small islet. Above it, they could see a swirling red and black sphere. They all knew too well what that meant.

"Hurry!" Riku shouted to the others.

They ran to the small shack on the island, climbed the stairs inside, and ran across the bridge to the islet. It was there that they met a robed figure with horns, green skin, and holding a staff.

"Maleficient?" Sora sounded surprised.

They all were. No one was expecting to see the witch at all. And in his anger towards her, Riku was the first to strike.

xxx

"Yeah," Ren said as he huffed and puffed. "I read the letter, too."

Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren sped towards the beach to get to their boats. Ren had to sneak out of his house on account of his mom still being home. They had seen the swirling sphere above the island, and knew that meant something was wrong.

"Do you think all those stories are true, then?" Apolla asked, clambering into her boat and grabbing her oar.

"I think so. No, I know so."

"But how do you know?" Zephyr asked. He was curious to know his friend's theory.

"Because of that sphere. That's definitely not supposed to be there."

"Fair enough."

"Let's just hurry over there and see what's going on. Who knows? Maybe we'll be able to help," Apolla suggested.

The three friends paddled as fast as they could. In no time, they arrived at the island. As they climbed onto the dock, creatures began to appear out of nowhere. Several were small and had antennae and several more were floating balls with jagged mouths and antennae. Both creatures were black with yellow eyes. There were some more creatures that looked almost similar to the small black creatures, except that they were blue and had red eyes.

"What are those things?" Zephyr asked as he raised his sparring sword.

"I don't know," Apolla answered, raising hers as well. Then she thought about it. "Oh, wait. Are these—?"

"Heartless?" was Ren's question. "I think you're right."

"What about those blue things?" Zephyr asked.

"Not sure. But it doesn't matter. Our sparring swords are useless against them."

"We can still beat them back while we look for Mom and Dad," Zephyr pointed out.

"I don't think that we have to look for them for long," Ren said. "Look at the islet!"

Apolla and Zephyr looked in the direction Ren was pointing. Sure enough, their parents, along with Terra and Aqua, were over there, fighting with someone. A Heartless made to attack them, but the trio was quick enough to dodge out of the way and bat the few that came towards the newcomers.

When she found the time, Apolla asked "Who are they fighting?"

"Not sure," Ren said, batting away one of the blue creatures. "Probably the reason we're fighting these guys."

"Maybe we should go help them," Zephyr suggested. "They look like they're having a hard time."

"Let's go then!" Apolla shouted.

The trio gave the Heartless they were currently fight a good whack to hold them off, and then made a break for the small shack.

xxx

"Maleficient, what do you want?" Sora demanded.

"Why, dominion of all worlds, of course," the witch replied. "What better world to start off with than your own. It's way too bright for my tastes."

"What a hag," Kairi muttered.

"Cut the act, Maleficient," Riku said. "We know there's more to it than that."

"Fine. I also want Kingdom Hearts. With that, no one will be able to stop me." Maleficient paused for a moment, and then continued. "For that though, I need the Princesses of Heart. All of them."

Sora took a protective step in front of Kairi, and raised the Kingdom Key. "So you're the reason the Princesses are disappearing!"

"Partly, but you don't know the half of it."

"Why don't you inform us, then," Terra said coolly. Hatred towards the witch who made him steal one of the Princesses' hearts was boiling up inside of him. "Of what your plan is."

"Why, if I did that, it would spoil the surprise."

"Enough games, Maleficient!" Aqua yelled, raising Rainfall. "Tell us, now!"

"We're all waiting!" Sora shouted. "If you don't tell us, we'll—" He never finished his statement. The sound of footsteps on the bridge behind them cut them off. He turned around to see who had joined them, and instantly wished he didn't.

Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren were running up to them.

_No, _he thought.

"Mom, Dad!" Apolla shouted.

Kairi ran up to them. "What are you doing here?" she asked them frantically. "You need to go home, now!"

"But we—" Zephyr began.

"No," Sora interrupted them. "Go home!"

"My, my," Maleficient said, intrigued. "This is a pleasant surprise. The children of the Keyblades."

"And who are you?" Ren asked.

"Ren, don't!" Riku exclaimed.

"Oh, they never told you who I was? How interesting! As Keyblade Wielders, I would have thought they would tell their own children. What a shame. I suppose I will just take it upon myself to tell you all of who I am, but in a…different setting. Wouldn't you agree, Master Xehanort?" Maleficient looked behind her.

"WHAT?" was everyone's answer.

Walking from behind the witch was someone dressed in a black coat with their hood up. As the stranger turned to face the group, they pulled off their hood, revealing the face of a bald old man with yellow, piercing eyes. The older generation knew who that this man was Xehanort.

"Xehanort?" Kairi asked. "But how?"

"It's amazing what the darkness can do to a person," Xehanort replied. "Now, about those children of yours."

Xehanort raised one of his hands, dark fire beginning to form from it. Sora saw him aim the fire towards Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren. Xehanort unleashed his attack.

"NO!"

Sora ran right in front of the kids, raising the Kingdom Key to guard them from the attack. The only thing that did was trap him in black and white bonds.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled. She began to run towards them, but was soon bound as Sora had been.

"Mom! Dad!" Zephyr called out.

One by one, Riku, Terra, and Aqua were bound by black and white glowing barbs.

"Not what I had in mind," Xehanort said. "But it will do. We've got one of the Princesses. That's what matters."

"As you wish," was Maleficient's reply. As she said this, a dark corridor opened up behind her. She walked through the darkness as if it had no effect on her.

"Take a good look around you, children," Xehanort said. "Because this is the last you'll see of your friends and family."

As the trio of friends looked on in terror, darkness appeared underneath each of the Keyblade Masters, and one by one, they disappeared. The last one to go was Xehanort himself.

"Just think," he said as he opened a dark corridor behind him. "The only ones you have to blame for the capture of your parents is yourselves. Food for thought, if you even bother to come after them." With that, he was gone.

Apolla ran for the man who just took their parents, but fell to her knees when the darkness disappeared. For the first time in her life, she began to cry.

The sky began to clear up. The swirling orb disappeared, along with the Heartless and blue creatures, disappeared, and there was nothing left but the clear, starry sky.

_What have we done?_ Apolla wondered. _They're gone, and it's our fault_.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Ren, a look of worry on his face. "Apolla?"

"Please," she began. "Please say that I fell asleep at the island, and that everything that just happened was just a dream."

"I'm afraid not, sis," Zephyr said quietly. "They're gone."

"Just like that. It's our fault."

"No, we can't think like that," Ren assured her. "We can't let what that guy said get to us. He's wrong. Uncle Sora did that to protect us. It's not our fault." He faltered a little as he added the latter. He was beginning to doubt himself.

"What do we do now?" Zephyr asked.

Apolla looked away from Ren and out towards the sky. She noticed that there were very few stars out, which seemed odd to her. She rummaged through her memories to find the answer to Zephyr's question, but couldn't think of anything. Then, she remembered the letters their parents had received.

She stood up, and turned to face both boys. "We tell King Mickey what happened. We go to him and tell him that Xehanort took our parents, and then we help get them back."

"But how are we going to do that?" her brother asked. "We don't exactly have a way of getting off of the island."

"Maybe we do," Ren said.

Both siblings looked at him with puzzled looks.

"My parents keep a weird object locked in a glass case. They told me to never touch it, because if I did, it would do something unexpected."

"And you're thinking that this will take us to the King?" Apolla asked.

"Maybe."

"Well, let's go to your house, then."

"Wait, isn't Aunt Naminé at home still?" Zephyr asked.

Ren winced. He hadn't thought about his mom still being there, and he didn't want to explain to her that his dad had been captured by an evil bald man.

"Maybe Uncle Roxas and Aunt Xion know how we can get to the King," Apolla suggested. "Ven might know something, too."

"Yeah, let's go ask them!"

"Then we'll go ask my mom," Ren said. "As a last resort." Then he ran off, with Zephyr following him.

_At least the island is still intact_, Apolla thought. _It was destroyed last time, according to the story, but Xehanort and that old hag left it alone. I wonder why? _With newfound determination, the three friends headed to their boats, and began paddling towards the main island.

* * *

><p>AN: So, I'm not sure, and this could just be me, but I may have misspelled Maleficient's name. I could be wrong, but I'll double check and fix it. To be honest, I think that her name deserves to be misspelled.

Apolla: Better not think like that, Xanthe.

Me: And why not?

Apolla: Because here she comes.

Me: Oh. -_-


	8. Working Together

Author's Note: Wooo hooo! Another update for you guys! This is what….three days in a row now?

Zephyr: I think so.

Me: You're no help at all, you know that?

Zephyr: Yes I am!

Me: *rolls eyes* Anyway, here's chapter seven! I'm hoping to finish chapter 16 of _Re: Kingdom Hearts_, so be looking for that update. Just think guys…Three months and three weeks til KH3D is released in North America. I'm super stoked!

Zephyr: I'm the one who got you out that mess with Maleficient.

Me: No you weren't.

Zephyr: Yes, I—

Ren: Shh! She took care of it on her own.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any Final Fantasy characters mentioned in the series or this fanfic. I only own Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven: Working Together<strong>

"Apolla, Zephyr, Ren," Roxas said as he opened his front door. "What are you all doing here?"

Roxas was surprised to see the trio here at this late hour, considering all the Heartless and Unversed that had appeared. They had just gotten home themselves from fighting them off, and we relieved when they disappeared.

"May we come in?" Apolla asked.

"Sure, come on in."

Apolla, followed by the boys, walked in and headed for the living room. They sat down on the couch, and were joined by Roxas and Xion.

"What brings you here this late?" Xion asked.

"The King's letter," Ren simply stated. "We really need to talk about it, and what to do next."

Roxas shifted in his seat a little. Xion scratched her head.

"So," Roxas finally said. "You know now?"

"Only what we remember from the stories," Apolla said. "And what we read from the letter."

"You figured it out on your own? Just from the story?"

Apolla and Zephyr nodded. "You guys always use your own names in the story when you tell it. So I assumed it was all true. Tonight kinda confirmed it."

"We need to speak with the King," Ren asked.

"Why?" Xion asked.

Apolla looked at her feet. "Because…because they—"

Zephyr intervened, knowing how hard it was for his sister to talk about it. "They took our parents. Terra and Aqua, too."

"Who took your parents, Zeph?"

"Xehanort, and some creepy looking old hag."

"WHAT?" Roxas and Xion both exclaimed. They were shocked to hear this, considering they had helped defeat him.

"That's not possible!" a voice behind the group exclaimed.

Everyone jumped. No one noticed the door open and shut. They turned and noticed that Ven had joined them. "How? How is he still alive?" He turned to Roxas and Xion. "We defeated Xehanort with Sora, Riku, and Kairi. He can't be alive!"

"He said something along the lines of 'it's amazing what darkness can do to a person'," Apolla said.

"Ven, what are you doing here anyway?" Roxas asked.

"I was looking for Terra and Aqua. They went over to Riku's and never came back to the apartment." Apolla winced as he said this.

"They were taken, too," Zephyr said quietly.

"No," Ven said. He flopped down onto one of the armchairs.

"I'm sorry," Apolla said. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't suggested that we go after them, that we go help them, none of this would have happened. All our parents would be home. Terra and Aqua would be home. Xehanort was gonna take us, and Dad tried to save us. Only to be caught."

"Apolla," Xion said. "You can't blame yourself. None of you can. If Xehanort truly is back, then they would have been caught anyway. Or worse. You're lucky that they were only caught."

"When we first fought him, he was really strong," Ven said. "If he's back, then your parents are gonna need all the help they can get."

"Ven and Aunt Xion are right," Ren said, standing up. "We can't give in to what Xehanort said. Our parents need us. Terra and Aqua need us. I don't know about you two, but I'm gonna do all I can to help them. Even if we aren't Keyblade Masters like they are, we can still try."

"There's still hope," Zephyr added.

"That's the spirit!" Xion said.

"We can't give up on our parents," Apolla agreed. "Otherwise, their sacrifice would have been in vain. And the worlds would be in jeopardy. They already are as long as Xehanort and the hag are around."

"So, what's the plan?" Roxas asked.

"We need to speak to King Mickey," she said. "He needs to know that things are worse than he realized. Then, we'll find out where we can get weapons that we can use on the Heartless and those blue creatures, find out where they are keeping our parents, and go after them."

"Then help them get rid of Xehanort once and for all," Zephyr added.

"Hold on," Xion said. "One step at a time. First, you guys need to get off the island. After talking with the King, you should probably speak with Yen Sid."

"He can tell you more about what you're going to be up against," Roxas added.

"Alright," Ren said. "Now that the plan's laid out, do you guys have a way we can get to them?"

No one answered right away. After a moment, Ven said, "Well, I can transform my Keyblade into a glider, and transform my clothes into armor at the push of a button. But, you guys don't have Keyblades."

"Or armor," Apolla added.

"We used to have a Star Shard that the King gave us," Xion asked. "But not anymore."

"A Star Shard?" Ren wondered. "That sounds familiar."

"Really?" Roxas asked. "Oh, yeah. Your parents should still have theirs, Ren."

"Yeah, but…I don't think that I can face my mom."

"You've gotta try," Apolla said.

"Besides," Zephyr said. "We'll be with you the entire time."

Ren nodded. "Thanks guys."

With that, the trio waved good bye to Roxas, Xion, and Ven, and headed in the direction of Ren's house.

xxx

"Ren!" Naminé cried as he entered the house. She ran up to him and hugged him. "Thank goodness, you're alright." She was practically sobbing.

"It's okay, Mom," Ren said, but he knew it wasn't.

"I was so worried. Where's your father?"

Ren looked at his feet. Apolla and Zephyr mimicked him. "He's…he's not coming back, Mom."

"What?"

"He was captured, along with Uncle Sora and Aunt Kairi."

"Terra and Aqua as well," Apolla added.

"No," Naminé said. "By who?"

Zephyr folded his arms. "By an old hag, and Xehanort."

"What? That can't be!"

"He pretty much said that the darkness brought him back."

"We went to the island to see if we could help them," Apolla said. "They were taken while trying to protect us."

"We've got to talk to King Mickey about what's going on," Ren said.

"How do you know about the King?" Naminé asked. She knew she never told them. Unless…

"The letter that he sent to our parents," was Zephyr's answer.

"We need to see him, Mom. Things are worse than he thought, and he needs to know that. And Uncle Roxas and Aunt Xion said you had the only way of getting to him. They said that you had a Star Shard."

Naminé took a moment to take it all in. Then, taking a deep breath, said, "We knew something like this would happen. We should have told you sooner."

"But you did," Apolla tried to reassure her aunt. "The stories."

"Yes, but we never thought you would catch on. We planned on telling you when you were older, mainly because your parents didn't want to tell you. For your own safety."

Zephyr thought about it for a moment. "So, you're not mad that we know?"

"No. In fact, I'm relieved."

"Wait, you wanted us to know?"

"Yes. Especially your Uncle Riku. He's been wanting to tell you all for some time now."

"Why didn't he?" Apolla asked.

"It was because of the darkness," Ren stated, remembering the story and his father's part in it.

Naminé nodded. "Your father didn't want you to end up like he did, Ren. But Sora asked him not to say anything, mainly because he wanted to protect you all, and because he knew that if you found out the hard way, Ren, that you would be able to overcome the darkness."

"Just the way that Dad had done?"

"Yes. Sora and Kairi didn't want you to be afraid of walking the streets without being attacked every which way."

"Well," Zephyr said. "At least we know the truth now. Without assuming."

"Yeah," Apolla agreed. "But, we kinda already knew, didn't we?"

Ren nodded in agreement. He now understood why they were keeping under lock and key about everything they had done. He was kinda relieved that his parents had wanted to tell him. And now he wanted to show that he wouldn't fall into darkness.

"Mom," he said. "I promise you right now that I won't let myself fall into darkness. I promise I won't give in!"

Naminé smiled. "I know you won't." She walked over to a glass case and pulled out a star shaped orb. "Here. This will get you to the King. You have to be careful, though. It can be quite unpredictable if used the wrong way."

"Is this the Star Shard Aunt Xion mentioned?" Apolla asked.

"Yes. The King had entrusted this one to us after Xehanort had been defeated and your Uncle Riku became a Master. That way, if there was trouble in one of the different worlds, he or your father could get there faster.'

"How do you use it?"

"You just hold it in your hand like this," she said as she showed them. "And concentrate on the place that you want to go to. But you have to keep your mind on that one place, or else it won't work. It will take you somewhere completely different."

"Where does the King live?" Ren asked, taking the Star Shard from his mother.

"Disney Castle," she said. "Now, hurry! You don't have much time. There's no telling what Xehanort is planning."

The three friends nodded.

"Alright," Ren said. "Keep thinking 'Disney Castle' guys. Hold hands."

Apolla and Zephyr did as they were told. Ren held the Star Shard up, just like his mother had shown him, and in a bright flash of light, they were gone.

Naminé watched as they left. She looked around and found her sketchbook and a couple of pencils, and immediately grabbed them. She left the house and made her way over to Roxas and Xion's place.

_Apolla, Zephyr, Ren_, she thought. _Please be careful. Please be safe_.

xxx

Donald Duck was walking around the grounds of Disney Castle with his childhood sweetheart, and Queen Minnie's Lady-in-Waiting, Lady Daisy. They were walking through the gardens, where they found a sleeping Captain of the Royal Knights.

"Goofy, wake up!" Donald shouted.

Goofy didn't wake up. He kept snoring, sleeping soundly. Donald nudged him in the leg, but his friend never woke up.

"Goofy!" he yelled again, but nothing happened.

Out of frustration, Donald cast Thunder, and Goofy was wide awake. He yawned.

"Good mornin' Donald, Daisy," he said.

Dasiy giggled. "Good morning, Goofy."

"Get up, Goofy," Donald said. "The King needs to see us."

"Okay," was Goofy's answer.

Goofy got up and started to walk off with Donald and Daisy, but suddenly stopped when he saw something flash behind him. "Uh, Donald?"

"No lollygagging, ya big palooka!" Donald called behind him. Daisy turned around and saw what Goofy was trying to tell Donald about.

She tapped Donald's shoulder. "Donald, look!"

And Donald did. At the exact moment he turned around, in place of a flash of light were three kids, two boys and one girl. The girl had black hair and purple eyes. One of the boys had long, spiky silver hair, and green eyes, and the other looked just like…

"Sora!" Goofy exclaimed. He and Donald began to run towards the group.

They only stopped short when the boy they thought was Sora said, "Huh? I'm not Sora."

"You're not?" Donald asked. He looked closer at the boy and said, "You sure look like him."

"Gawrsh, did you forget who you were?" Goofy asked. He was worried.

"No." Then it hit the boy. "Oh, no, I'm not Sora. That's my dad. I'm Zephyr."

"Oh. Well, I'll be! I didn't know he had a son!"

"And a daughter," the girl added, giggling. "I'm Apolla."

"I'm Ren," the silver haired boy said. "I'm Riku's son."

"It figures," Donald murmured.

"What brings you here?" Daisy asked.

"We need to speak with the King," Ren said. "It's urgent."

Donald and Goofy looked at each other, worry growing on their faces.

"Well, we were on our way to the King's study," Daisy said. "You can come with us."

"Thank you very much," Apolla said. "Um…what are your names?"

"Oh, sorry," Goofy said. "We're Donald, Goofy, and Daisy."

"Hi there," Daisy said.

Donald nodded, and then said, "Come on! Follow us!"

The three friends followed Donald, Goofy, and Daisy out of the gardens and into a long hallway. They passed by a pair of huge double doors. It was barred by a purple barrier.

"Where does that lead?" Zephyr asked.

"To the Throne Room," Donald said. "But hardly anyone goes in there."

"Oh."

"We're here."

In front of them was a pair of red double doors. They were pretty big, but not as big as the doors to the Throne Room. Donald knocked on the door.

"Your Majesty, may we come in?"

"Come on in," a voice called from behind the doors. With that, Donald opened the door and everyone filed in.

"Your Majesty, you have some visitors," Goofy announced.

Sitting behind a desk was a mouse, probably about half the size of Zephyr. He looked up from the letter he appeared to be writing. Upon looking at the kids, he said, "Sora?"

Zephyr shook his head.

The King nodded. "I thought not. You must be Zephyr, Apolla, and Ren."

The three friends looked at each other, surprised that he knew who they are. "How—how did you—?"

The King chuckled a little. "Your parents told me about you all in their letters to me. Sora warned me that you looked like him, Zephyr."

"Yeah," Zephyr said, scratching the back of his head. "I get that a lot."

"And Ren, you kinda look like Riku, too."

Ren folded his arms across his chest. "Really?" he wondered.

Apolla shook her head. "Wait a minute! Let's talk about the problem at hand!"

"What's that?" The King asked.

"It's our parents," she said. "They've been taken. Terra and Aqua, too."

"What? By who?"

"An old hag with horns," Zephyr said.

"And Xehanort," Apolla added.

"WHAT?" The King, Donald, and Goofy all exclaimed.

xxx

"I see," the King finally said.

Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren told them about what happened on the island, including the fight with Maleficient (Donald and Goofy had informed them that is the witch's name) and Xehanort's mentioning of the darkness bring him back.

"You sure it was him, though?" Goofy asked. No one wanted to believe he was back.

"Positive," Zephyr said. "In those stories they'd always told us, Uncle Riku said that there was a certain feeling that one felt when they were around him."

"And wasn't pleasant," Apolla added. "That's for sure."

"Then things are definitely worse than I had originally thought," the King said.

"Ven had told us it would probably do us good to speak with Yen Sid about what happened," Ren said.

"Hmm. It's a good idea."

"But where is Yen Sid?" Zephyr asked. "And how are we gonna get there?"

"Master Yen Sid lives at the Mysterious Tower in Twilight Town," Donald said.

"And we have the Gummi Ship," the King said. "That can take us there."

"Great!" Zephyr exclaimed. "Let's go!"

King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other, hesitating to let them embark on that adventure.

"Please let us go with you," Apolla asked, sensing their hesitation. "If anything, we should be the ones to get our parents back."

"It kinda is our fault," Ren added.

"I'm not sure," Donald said.

"You don't have Keyblades, or anything to defend yourselves with," the King added.

"We may not be Keyblade Wielders," Apolla said. "But we can still fight. Our parents and our friends taught us how. We'll use whatever we can."

The King took a deep breath. _Just like her father_, he thought.

"Alright, then. I don't think there's any way we can get ya to stay, huh?"

"Not really."

Goofy chuckled. Looking at Donald, he said, "Kinda reminds ya of Sora, huh?"

"Yep," Donald agreed.

"Welp, let's get going," the King said.

The group followed King Mickey to the Gummi Hangar. Everyone started to pile into the Gummi Ship, with Donald heading to the cockpit to start up the engines. Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren just took a seat and buckled up. They were kind of excited at the thought of getting to see other worlds.

Once everyone was buckled up, Donald called for blast off. The hangar door opened, and they took off.

Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren looked out of the windows of the ship, staring out into the space around them. They could see the outline of Disney Castle as they sped off in the direction of what they assumed was Twilight Town.

But Apolla couldn't help thinking that what happened with their parents was only the beginning. _I wonder if this was such a good idea after all_, she thought. _We don't even have Keyblades. How are we going to fight the Heartless? Maybe we should have just stayed home._

She shook her head, knowing that thinking like that wasn't going to save her parents, or the Princesses of Heart. She knew she had to be strong. _But…am I?_

* * *

><p>AN: So, it was pretty long, huh? This chapter mostly wrote itself, but hey, when you really get into a chapter, that tends to happen. You guys are also probably wondering "Hey, why don't they have Keyblades yet? They experienced their Awakenings." Soon, my reviewers and followers, soon. All in good time. Maybe next chapter.

Zephyr: Good, 'cause I don't want to use a toy sword the entire time.

Apolla: Be patient! Xanthe will get to it when she does.

Me: Thank you, Apolla. Anyway, I was thinking about this, and decided that I may try to slow down on posting chapters for this fanfic for two reasons: 1) I'm going to be working on some drawings to post on deviantART for you guys (now that I have an account); 2) I'm thinking of catching _Re: Kingdom Hearts_ up, because I'm thinking of letting Pyn have a cameo. But I want to try and get it finished up so that I can do that. So, like I said, updates for _Next Generation_ will probably slow. Other than that, reviews anyone?


	9. Mysterious Tower

Author's Note: FINALLY! I'm sorry for the delay in getting this posted, but I can honestly say that it was hard to write this chapter. School and life have also gotten in the way. But what's done is done. The chapter is up for your enjoyment now. WHOOHOO!

Zephyr: You're way too excited.

Apolla: You would be, too, bro, if it took a while to figure out where the story was going.

Zephyr: Hmmm. Touché. That, and she was pretty excited last about finishing that book.

Me: Oh, right! That reminds me. I did finishing reading Kingdom Keepers: Shell Game, which is the fifth installment in the Kingdom Keepers series by Ridley Pearson. It was really good. I definitely recommend it to you guys to read. And I mean the ENTIRE series. You can get copies at Barnes & Noble, Hastings, and probably Half Price Books. Although I have no idea why you would want to sell them. I quite enjoyed them, and it sort of reminded me of Kingdom Hearts. Thanks, Zeph.

Zephyr: You're welcome :D

Me: So, enjoy the chapter. I hope to get the next chapter written and up and readable within the next two weeks (gotta give me some room for homework and chores). Enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter

Ren: Xanthe in no way, shape, or form owns Kingdom Hearts, any Disney characters used herein, or any Final Fantasy characters. They were created by none other than Disney and SQUARE-ENIX. She only owns us.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight: Mysterious Tower<strong>

"That will be 5 munny," an elderly woman said.

Axel pulled out the exact amount from his pocket and took the ice cream bar from the vendor. It was his favorite flavor—sea-salt ice cream.

"Thanks, ma'am," he said, handing the munny to her.

"You're welcome. Have a nice day!"

Axel walked off in the direction of Station Plaza, where his usual spot was. He had just got back from helping with Heartless-duty in Radiant Garden. Although the town had been completely restored, there were still a few Heartless running around. Not much, but a few. He figured he could use a break.

Axel was halfway through his ice cream already when he noticed something moving behind a building. It was only we he got within a ten foot distance did he realize what it was.

"Damn Heartless," he muttered. He quickly finished off the rest of his ice cream and summoned his chakrams. In a blaze of fire, they appeared by his side.

He took out each Shadow one by one. He thought he had taken care of the last of them, but was disappointed when five Neoshadows and ten blue creatures appeared from the ground.

"What the—!" The blue creatures—he remembered that they were called the Unversed, specifically Floods—caught him off guard, and one landed a hit. He growled as he recovered, sending out a pillar of fire. Three of the five Neoshadows and seven of the Floods were caught in the crossfire, and immediately disappeared as the flames died. The other three were blasted back, causing major damage. Axel threw his chakrams at the Neoshadows and the last of the Floods closest to him, which were immediately destroyed. The last Neoshadow actually bothered to put up a fight, but it didn't last long. Within seconds, it was nothing more than black specks on the ground.

_They shouldn't have been here_, Axel thought. _Especially those Unversed. Better tell Yen Sid_.

He ran as fast as he could in the direction of Station Plaza.

xxx

"Whoa!" Zephyr exclaimed. "Look at that tower!"

"Wow," Apolla said, looking up at the huge clock tower.

The group arrived at the Station Plaza in Twilight Town. Since this was really their first time off the island, Apolla, Ren, and Zephyr were awed by the sight of the Station Clock Tower.

Donald was scratching his head. "We shouldn't have landed here," he said.

Ren looked surprised. "Why not?"

"'Cause Master Yen Sid really leaves in a different area called Mysterious Tower," Goofy explained.

"Hmm, wonder why we landed here instead," King Mickey said.

"Maybe we can't get to Master Yen Sid the way you used to because we're supposed to go the long way," Apolla thought out loud. "Maybe something went wrong?"

"Could be," Donald said, though still unsure.

"We won't know until we ask him ourselves," the King said.

"So wait, this is a train station, right?" Apolla asked. "So won't we need tickets?"

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "Apolla's right."

"Well, I know we don't have any munny," Zephyr said.

"We?" Ren questioned.

"Okay, I don't have any more munny. I spent it all on my shoes."

"I have 500 munny," Apolla said.

Zephyr gaped at his sister.

"What? Unlike you, I save my munny."

"I've got 800," Ren said. Turning to King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, he added, "How much do you guys have?"

"Umm...5000 munny total," the King said.

"So we've got, 7300 altogether," Apolla said. "How much are tickets?"

"We've got enough," Donald said.

Apolla gave him an odd look. "Okay," she said slowly. "Then I guess all we have to do is get the tickets and board the train."

Zephyr put his hands behind his head. "Sounds like a plan," he said.

The group began walking to the doors of the station when black creatures appeared out of nowhere. Apolla jumped.

"It's those creatures from the island!" She took a fighting stance, despite not having a decent weapon. _I can at least beat them away_, she thought.

Zephyr and Ren mimicked her actions.

King Mickey noticed what they were doing. "You three better head inside!" he told them.

"No way!" Ren said.

"We're gonna help you out!" Zephyr added.

The King had to give them points for enthusiasm.

"These are Heartless, right?" Zephyr asked as one of them made to attack him. He blocked its attack quickly.

"Yep," Goofy asked as he swung his shield at a few of them. "How'd ya know?"

"Our parents," Apolla said, batting the Heartless in front of her into the Thunder spell Donald had just cast. "They told us about them in the stories they used to tell us."

"Oh." Goofy couldn't help but smile.

Apolla and Ren were about to attack the Heartless that had just appeared in front of them when they suddenly caught on fire. Within seconds they were gone.

Everyone looked at Donald.

"It wasn't me!" he cried out.

"Of course not," a voice said. "It was me."

The group turned and saw a man standing behind him, holding two chakrams in his hands. He was no taller than Ren—maybe a head taller. He was wearing khaki capris with a red and white tank top, black, red, and white sneakers, and black gloves. He had spiky, flaming red hair.

"Axel!" the King exclaimed.

"Long time no see, Your Majesty," Axel replied. "See you got the name memorized."

"Aw, gosh. How many times do I have to tell ya? Just call me Mickey." The King turned to Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren and added. "The same goes for you three."

"Sora," Axel said. "You haven't aged at all."

Everyone looked at Zephyr, then looked at each other and laughed.

"Again?" Zephyr whined. "I'm not Sora. I'm his son, Zephyr."

"Well," Axel said, scratching his head. "You sure look like him."

"I seem to be getting that a lot."

"What are ya doin' here, Axel?" Goofy asked. "I thought you'd be in Radiant Garden?"

"I like it here better. That, and I needed to talk to Yen Sid."

"You too?" Apolla asked. "Why?"

"Need to tell him about all of the Heartless that showed up all of a sudden. And the Unversed are showing up again."

"What?" Mickey asked, surprised. "Oh no!"

"Not them, too!" Donald exclaimed.

"The Unversed?" Apolla asked. She looked at Zephyr and Ren, who shook their heads and shrugged, just as confused as she was.

"Yen Sid should tell us more about what's going on," Mickey said.

"Then let's get going!" Donald exclaimed. Everyone made a break for the Station, Axel quickly on their heels.

_If Sora's kid is here_, Axel thought, _then where is he?_

xxx

"What is with this place and towers?" Zephyr asked.

Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren were the first ones out of the train. And gazing at yet another tower.

"This is Yen Sid's tower, right?" Apolla asked. "Seems like it fits. You know, because of his reputation."

"Yeah," Ren agreed. "So, we should probably be respectful." When he said this, he gestured towards Zephyr.

Zephyr noticed. "What?" he asked.

"Yen Sid's room is on the top floor," Donald said. "We better hurry."

"The top floor?" Zephyr whined.

"The top floor," Axel repeated. "Got it memorized?"

Apolla and Ren nodded. Zephyr sighed.

_Like father, like son_, Axel thought. _Kinda reminds me of Roxas in a way, too_.

"Come on," Mickey said. "Let's hurry."

The group ran through the large wooden doors and ran up the spiral staircase. They entered a room that was marked by a moon when a group of Shadows and Soldiers appeared.

"More Heartless?" Apolla asked as she pulled out her wooden sword.

"These guys never give up," Ren said, following her gesture with Zephyr following him.

Axel summoned his chakrams. "Don't count on it." Taking one look at their choice of weapons, he added, "Those aren't gonna do you much good."

"It's all we've got," Zephyr said as he whacked a Shadow away from him and into Mickey's attack.

"We might not be able to get rid of them," Apolla pointed out. "But we can still fight them back into any of your attacks. It's proven effective so far."

Axel threw a chakram at some of the Soldiers, three of them bursting into flames. As it was coming back to him, Apolla hit a Soldier hard enough to push it in the way of the chakram, and it disappeared within seconds. Axel grabbed his chakram out of the air.

"Guess you're right, then," he said. Axel took out the last Heartless and they ran out the door, up another flight of stairs, and into a room mark with a star. There were more Heartless in this room as well.

Apolla and Zephyr went after the Shadows that appeared in the middle of the room.

"This certainly feels like déjà vu," Apolla said.

"Same here," her brother said. "Same situation, just a different place."

"I know what you mean," Ren added as he batted away a Soldier.

Axel gave them a puzzled look.

As soon as the Heartless were gone, the group proceeded past the next door and up yet another flight of stairs.

"Another room, huh?" Axel asked. "And more Heartless."

Mickey shook his head. "No, we're here."

"That means behave, Zeph," Apolla said.

Zephyr glared at her. "Hey!"

"Then let's do this," Ren said. "We need answers."

He walked over to the door, turned the knob, and opened the door. Everyone walked in.

The room they were in now was a decent size—big enough to be a study. There were shelves full of books and other trinkets. In the middle, there was a desk and a chair with a tall back. Sitting in the chair was an old man with a medium-length beard wearing a blue robe and dark blue hat. There were shapes of moons and stars on the hat. The man looked quite stern, even when he appeared asleep.

"Maybe we should come back later," Apolla said. "He seems to be asleep."

"Maybe you're right," Goofy agreed.

"You would be correct, if that were true," the stern-looking man said. "However, I was merely meditating."

This made Apolla, Zephyr, Ren, and Axel jump. They literally thought that he was asleep.

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy walked up to the desk, and bowed. Upon seeing this, the other four stood be at attention, trying to be respectful.

"Master Yen Sid," Mickey began. "We've come to seek your advice."

"I see," Yen Sid said. He looked at Apolla, Zephyr, Ren, and Axel, and said, "Please, come closer. I fear you bring with you terrible news."

Walking up to the desk, Zephyr said, sounding quite surprised, "How did you know that?"

"I see many things, and know many things. Especially when it comes to keeping an eye on the tides between the light and darkness."

Apolla looked down at the floor. "Then you're right, sir. We do have terrible news."

Donald and Goofy looked at each other, concern outlining their brows. "Apolla?" Goofy asked.

She took a deep breath in, and then exhaled. "Our parents were taken. Terra and Aqua, too."

Axel looked at her, completely shocked by what she said. _Sora? Taken?_ He thought about it a little more. _So that's why these guys are here. Sora's kids and Riku's. They're here to save them._

"That is unfortunate," Yen Sid answered. "By whom?"

"Maleficent and Xehanort," Ren replied, knowing Apolla was still upset over what happened.

"Hmm. Interesting. How is it that Xehanort is alive?"

"He said 'It's amazing what darkness can do for a person'."

"Then it is as I feared. The worlds are indeed in grave danger. I'm sure your parents have told you about had happened twenty years ago?"

The trio nodded. "In a way, yes," Zephyr confirmed. "They told us about it in the form of stories." he paused for a second. "Never thought that they were really true."

"I see," Yen Sid said. "So then you know what must be done."

"You mean, we have to defeat Xehanort, right?"

"That is correct. This must be done in order to keep the balance of the worlds in check. Maleficent must be stopped as well. With their combined effort, there's no telling what will happen."

"Xehanort and Maleficent mentioned Kingdom Hearts and the Princesses of Heart," Ren added. "Does this mean that we have to keep them safe as well?"

The sorcerer nodded.

"There's something else," Axel pointed out. "The Unversed are back."

"I am well aware, but I do appreciate you keeping me updated. Thank you."

Axel looked shocked. "How'd you—?"

"There was only one other time that I sensed their presence, and that was thirty years ago. You know what I speak of, Axel."

It was true. The Unversed had first appeared a few days before he had met Ven for the first time all those years ago.

"Do you think that means that Vanitas is back as well?" Mickey asked.

"That's highly doubtful," Yen Sid replied. "Vanitas was once the dark part of Ventus' heart. Since Ventus was able to defeat him within his own heart once they had joined, the Unversed, along with Vanitas, had disappeared from existence."

"So," Apolla began. "How are they here now?"

"That is an interesting question, young one. One that I unfortunately cannot answer."

"Guess we'll have to find out on our own then," Zephyr said.

Mickey nodded. He looked at Yen Sid and said, "We'll let you know as soon as possible."

"I appreciate that, Mickey. Do you have all of the necessary preparations?"

"Mostly. We should probably stop and get more provisions."

Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren smiled at the thought of possibly going to another world.

"But what about Apolla and the others?" Donald asked.

Mickey hadn't thought of that. Without Keyblades, without any sort of useful weapon, the children were in danger.

"Do you not have Keyblades?" Yen Sid asked the trio.

"No, Master Yen Sid, sir," Zephyr said.

"Yet you came anyway."

"Please, sir," Apolla pleaded. "We want to help our parents. We want to save our friends."

"Even if we don't have Keyblades, we can still fight," Ren pointed out.

"Our parents taught us everything we know."

"I'm sure that they have," Yen Sid said. "In fact, I was there when they started training you. Though I can honestly say that they started you too young, I'm sure their efforts have made you strong and wise in combat. In fact, I don't doubt that you will become Keyblade wielders. But when, I cannot say."

"What do you mean?" Zephyr said.

"I was there the day that your parents performed the Passing of the Power ceremony. Only those who have participated in this ceremony will have the power to wield a Keyblade."

The trio became excited. "So, you mean—?" Apolla asked.

Yen Sid nodded. "Yes, Apolla. One day, you will have a Keyblade of your own that will present itself to you. Zephyr and Ren as well."

"Sweet!" Zephyr exclaimed. "So, it's only a matter of time, then?"

"Yes. But you have to earn it. Not just the matter of want will yield you a Keyblade. Keyblades choose their masters. You have to prove that you are worthy of such a weapon."

The three friends looked at each other. Apolla was the first to voice what they were all thinking. "Then maybe they will appear to us while we are looking for our parents. And for Terra and Aqua."

Yen Sid nodded. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy looked less worried, and were genuinely happy at the news the three were to be wielders. It was the _when_that worried them the most.

Axel sighed. Inside, he knew these three could do it, but in his mind there was a hint of doubt. "Well, I say wherever our next stop is, we better get you guys some back-up weapons there until your Keyblades appear."

Ren nodded. "Agreed."

"Then it's settled," Yen Sid said. "Get provisions for your journey. Then, you must travel to the different worlds, ensure that they are balanced, and make sure the Princesses are safe."

"Then it will only be a matter of finding Maleficent and Xehanort, defeating them, and taking care of the Unversed," Mickey added.

"And getting our parents back," Apolla added as well.

"Yeah!" Zephyr agreed.

_Sheesh_, Axel thought. _Like father, like daughter and son. Doesn't help that he looks just like Sora._

Saying their good-byes and giving their thanks, the group set back down the stairs. They made it outside the tower when they noticed the Gummi Ship parked outside.

"Hey!" Zephyr exclaimed. "How did it get there?"

"Master Yen Sid probably used his magic to summon it closer to us," Goofy said.

"Makes sense," Axel said.

The group loaded up the ship and blasted off. Everyone was quiet, letting everything Yen Sid had said sink in. It was when they were back in space that anyone broke the silence.

"So, where to?" Zephyr asked.

"Radiant Garden?" Goofy asked.

"Radiant Garden's too far away," Donald pointed out as he turned the ship to the right.

"Then where?"

There was a beep coming from the dashboard. Mickey took a closer look.

"There's a world in trouble," he said. "Somewhere we've certainly never been before."

"Does it look like we'll be able to resupply there?" Axel asked.

"Not sure, but it's a lot closer than Radiant Garden."

"Guess it'll have to do."

"What's the world called?" Ren asked in curiosity.

"Palumpolum," was the King's answer.

* * *

><p>AN: Hopefully I managed to stay in character with Axel. And hopefully I stay in character with the characters that are appearing in the next chapter. Anyone else excited about visiting Palumpolum?


	10. Villains of a SortPalumpolum

Author's Note: Chapter Nine is officially up and running! I don't have much to say except enjoy. Honestly this is my favorite chapter that I've written so far. Hopefully you'll see why!

Ren: Don't forget the pictures.

Me: Right! Thanks, Ren. I should have some pictures of the trio's weapons up sometime in the future. I'm working on different projects at the moment, so it will be a while. But nonetheless, they will be put up on my deviantART account. So just keep an eye out.

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any Final Fantasy characters that show up in this fic. I only own the OC's Apolla, Ren, and Zephyr.

Zephyr: Wow, I got demoted.

Apolla, Ren, and I: Shut up, Zephyr!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Villains of a SortPalumpolum**

"So, the King and his lackeys have joined the Keyblade Bearers' brats," Xehanort mused.

"It seems that way," Maleficent said. "The pyromaniac has joined them as well."

Xehanort smiled. "Axel. What you see in those brats is beyond me." He thought about it for a moment, which caused him to smile even more. _ I see,_ he thought. _Sora's brats remind you of them_.

"What's our plan, then?" a tall, white-haired, black robed man asked.

"Our plan, Judge Frollo, is simple. Get ahold of those brats before they find the Keyholes, and the Princesses."

"Then Kingdom Hearts is ours," a green-skinned, half octopus woman added.

"Correct," Maleficent said. "And with Kingdom Hearts, we will have control of all worlds."

Another stepped out of the shadows to join the group in their conversation. The pirate was clad in black, with black hair and a black, greying beard. "And you will keep your end of the bargain? Our own worlds will belong to us as our own domain?"

"Of course, Blackbeard," Xehanort reassured. "But our main goal must be achieved first for that to happen."

"Of course. The Princesses."

"They will begin to fall into our hands, one by one. We are well on our way."

Maleficent grinned, one of those grins that was under the category of malevolent and mischievous. "Speaking of which, we only have six more to go."

"No! Leave Kairi alone!" someone demanded.

Everyone in the room had forgotten about their "guests." It was only when Sora spoke up to defend Kairi that they remembered.

Blackbeard walked up to the five captives, stopping in front of Sora. "You care for her, fancy her even."

"Duh. She's my wife, you moron!"

"Almost forgot that you were here," the evil fairy jeered.

"Cut the act, Maleficent," Riku said. "You won't succeed."

"Donald, Goofy, and the King will stop you! So will our kids!"

Xehanort merely smiled at Sora's attempt to be brave for his friends. For his family.

_Is he…laughing at me?_ Sora wondered.

Xehanort shook his head. "No, I do not think so."

xxx

Apolla, Zephyr, Ren, Axel, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey disembarked from the Gummi Ship. They had landed on Palumpolum with much success, and were now in a location known as Palumpolum Port.

"Whoa!" Zephyr exclaimed.

"It's beautiful!" Apolla cried.

"This sure is something," Axel commented.

Everyone took in the sites of Palumpolum, from the harbor around them to the city ahead of them. It was interesting to them, especially the young trio, for the city was built on the side of a cliff, and then the flat part of the cliff. There were a few buildings along the harbor that they assumed housed incoming boats.

"Where do ya suppose all the shops are?" Goofy wondered.

"Most likely in town," Ren said. "There may be one or two along this road, but I don't think they'd put any major shops here in the harbor."

They continued down the road, following it from the harbor and up the side of the cliff, where it led them into town. There were buildings surrounding the center of the city, some with cylindrical screens to project advertisements. It was nothing like the group had ever seen, even those with experience in traveling to different worlds. The party continued through, in constant awe, stumbling upon different kinds of shops.

"Looks like this is exactly where we need to be," Apolla pointed out.

"Well, we better get shopping then," Mickey said.

And so they did. They went to an Items shop and bought as many Potions, Hi-Potions, Ethers, Hi-Ethers, and anything else they believed would help them on their journey. They checked out the Accessories shop and then a small weapons shop so that Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren could pick out their backup weapons.

The kids perused through the shop's inventory. They looked at just about anything they could get their hands on—swords, staves, clubs—anything they took a fancy to. Ren and Zephyr had found their choice weapons in a matter of minutes. Ren chose one that switched between a sword and a bow (with arrows included) and Zephyr chose a triple blade sword, two blades set 3 inches apart with another set on top, with a big enough that it could also serve as a shield.

_This will block attacks easily_, he thought.

Apolla was taking a little longer. She couldn't seem to find one that really fit her. She was having a pretty tough time finding a weapon, and Zephyr hurrying her after making his purchase wasn't helping her.

"Come on, 'Polla," he urged her. "Hurry up!"

Apolla took the opportunity to shoot a glare at her brother. "Don't test me, Zephyr!"

He didn't.

She turned back to keep looking when something caught her eye. In the very back of the store, Apolla had found a unique looking sword. At the hilt, she could make out a trigger just above the handle. The blade was at a decent length—not too long, but not too short either. She picked it up to get a closer look. Part of the sword was in the shape of the barrel part of a gun, with the blade set up as an attachment. The silver-blue colored blade was straight with a slight wave at the top. It was light weight, which meant that it could deal massive damage, when used right, and could pull off a string of strong, fast combos.

Apolla gave it a good swing or two, and, depending on how she swung it, it transformed into a gun.

_Sweet!_ she thought. _I love it! It's feels like it was almost…made for me._

She quickly decided that this was what she wanted, and practically ran to the counter and said, rather enthusiastically, "I want this one!"

"That's a pretty special weapon," the owner of the shop said. "A gunblade. I've only seen one other person with a weapon like that. You sure you want it?"

Apolla nodded. "Positive!"

"Alright, then. Because you're the first person I've seen come across it, I'll throw this in for free."

He pulled out a black holder with a belt from behind the counter, and said, "This should be big enough to carry that blade for you so you don't have to carry the thing yourself. I know weapons, no matter how light weight they seem, can get heavy and you'll get tired of holding it."

"So, it's like a holster? I mean, a sheath?"

"Well, kinda both if you think about it."

A huge smile grew on Apolla's face. "I'll take it."

With just enough munny, she paid for the gunblade—no—her gunblade, put it in its holder, and quickly joined the others outside.

"About time," Zephyr said.

"Well, aren't we impatient," Apolla muttered.

"Yes! You take FOREVER!"

"Whatever." Apolla buckled the belt around her waist underneath her vest and the three friends walked over to a small shop where the King and the others were waiting for them.

"So," Axel said. "What'd ya pick out?"

Ren pulled his sword out of the quiver of arrows strapped across his back. The broad blade was a black and silver color and the hilt was black and blue. There was a purple gem set in the middle of the hilt.

"Nice, but what's the quiver for?"

Ren pushed the purple gem, and the sword instantly transformed into a bow. The blade bent in half to form the main part of the bow and a string of light appeared, the same string that would allow him to shoot the arrows.

"Whoa."

"Mine's okay I guess," Zephyr said. "It doesn't transform, but it's perfect for me." He pulled out his triple blade sword, two of the blades a silver-purple color and the middle blade a gold color. The hilt was simpler than the blades, a brown color with black tape around the handle. Part of the hilt was enlarged so that it could serve as a shield.

"Heh, kind reminds me of one of the guys I used to work with."

"Who's that?" Ren asked.

"A big guy named Lexaeus. His axe-sword was bigger than that, and a lot heavier I bet."

"Ah." Zephyr put his sword in its shealth, which was also strapped to his back."

Axel, along with Ren, Zephyr, and the others looked at Apolla, waiting for her to show off her new weapon.

She put her hand behind her back, which instantly found the hilt, and quickly pulled out her gunblade. It unfolded into a sword quicker than one could say "Heartless."

Axel and Zephyr whistled. Ren smiled, and Donald, Goofy, and the King looked really happy for her. Maybe that was because of the look on her face.

"How come you got the good one?" her brother asked.

"I didn't really pick it," was her answer. "It kinda…chose me."

"Sweet. But, I think mine's better."

Before she could say anything, Apolla jumped upon hearing a woman scream.

"MONSTERS!" a man cried out. "In the Rivera!"

"Someone help us!" another called out.

The group looked to their right, and saw a crowd of people running towards them.

"Monsters?" Ren wondered. "Hmm."

"Heartless?" Apolla asked.

"Only one way to find out," Mickey said.

With that, everyone ran in the opposite direction of everyone else—in the direction of the Rivera.

xxx

When the group got there, which took them a while due to the amount of people they had to fight to get through, there were already a few people fighting off the monsters that had appeared all of a sudden.

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy recognized two of them right off the bat.

"Cloud!" Donald exclaimed.

"Tifa!" Goofy called out.

Tifa was the first to greet them. "Hey guys! Here to help?"

"Guess we are now," Mickey said.

Apolla was right. There were Heartless here, and must have been what scared the citizens of Palumpolum. But there was an addition to the Heartless. White hooded creatures were attacking the fighters as well.

"Nobodies, too?" Axel asked, summoning his chakrams. "Can't believe this."

"Well, get used to it," Cloud managed to say as he swung his Buster Sword. "They've been appearing just as much as the Heartless have lately."

"They weren't there last time I was in Radiant Garden."

"Seems that they've been spreading. Tifa and I were in Beast's Castle when they showed up."

"You guys travel to different worlds, too?" Zephyr asked as pulled out his triple-blade and began causing the Heartless and Nobodies to disappear. He remembered fighting this particular Nobody in his dream, so he adapted quickly.

Cloud gave him a strange look, as if he was crazy.

Tifa was just as confused as he was. "Did you hit your head? Of course we do, and you of all people should know that, Sora." She grabbed a hold of a Shadow that was about to attack her and threw it into the ground.

"Here we go again," Zephyr said.

"He's not Sora," Apolla explained as she swiped at a Soldier and a couple of Shadows. She switched over to its gun form and shot at a Nobody trying to attack her. It was suspended in the air upside down, as if it were walking on an invisible ceiling. "He's my brother. We're his kids."

"Oh," Tifa said. She round-house kicked a Soldier right into Cloud's attack.

"Sorry," Cloud said, cutting it in half before it disappeared. "You just look a lot like him."

"He's been getting that a lot lately."

"Would you concentrate on what's going on around you?" one of the other fighters asked. She was as tall as Tifa, with strawberry blonde hair that lay mainly on her left shoulder, blue eyes, and was wearing a white and tan vest, light brown zip-up turtle neck tank top, a brown leather skirt, knee high brown boots, a red cape, and a brown-red pouch that was belted to her leg and waist. She wore blue gloves with the fingers cut off halfway, a longer black glove on her left arm and small bands on her upper right arm. She, too, wielded a gunblade, very similar to that of Apolla's, and had a brown holder buckled to her waist, hidden by her vest.

"Sorry, Light," Tifa said, beating down two Soldiers.

"Give 'em a break, soldier," a dark skinned man with an afro said as he shot down three Nobodies.

"Fine, Sazh."

The group continued to fight off the Heartless and Nobodies until there were none left. They began to relax when the last one had disappeared, and people began to fill the Rivera once again.

"Well, than takes care of that," the man called Sazh said, putting his guns in their holsters.

Now that things had settled, the young trio was able to get a better look at him. Sazh wore a black tank top under a halfway buttoned up white shirt. He wore a green coat on top of that (which had a yellow patch on the left shoulder and a badge) with khaki pants that were tucked into his black boots, his gun holsters buckled to each one of his legs, and black biker-type gloves. He also had a nicely trimmed goatee. If the trio took a closer look, they would have seen a little yellow bird perched in his fluffy, brown afro.

"Name's Sazh. Sazh Katzroy. Pleasure to meet you," he said.

"I'm Mickey," the King said. Then pointing to each person in his party, he added, "This is Donald, Goofy, Axel, Apolla, Zephyr, and Ren."

"Nice to meet you three," Tifa said to the latter three.

"Same here," Apolla said, returning the welcome.

"I'm Tifa, and this is Cloud," she said, pointing a gloved thumb to her blonde, spiky haired companion.

"Nice to meet you," Ren said.

"Likewise," Cloud said.

"And this here is Lightning," Sazh pointed out.

"Hi," the three said together.

"You're a really good fighter," Zephyr said.

Lightning blushed a little. "Thank you. Same goes for you and your friends."

Apolla and Ren snickered at Zephyr. He ignored them.

"You guys came at a good time," Sazh informed them. "The Heartless have been showing up like crazy, and there's no tellin' when it will get worse."

"Glad we made it in time," Mickey said. "How long have the Heartless been here?"

"Always," Lightning replied. "But they only started as a few of them. And it was just the Shadow variety. Then a whole horde of them showed up, so Sazh and I have been at it, keeping them at bay."

"Wow," Apolla said. "Sounds like you've got your hands full."

"You're telling us," Sazh said. "We were hoping that maybe one of the Keyblade Masters would be here to take care of them, but no one's shown up. That is, until you came."

"So, and I'm just thinking out loud, that means that the Keyhole hasn't been sealed?" Axel wondered. "I'm just guessing since you said you were waiting for a Keyblade Master."

"You got that right," a voice said behind them.

Everyone turned and saw that a boy, probably no older than Zephyr and Apolla, had joined the group. He was holding a yellow and blue boomerang in his hand. He folded it up and put it in a holder attached to his belt, and walked closer to the group. He had short, grey-blonde spiky hair and green eyes. He wore a black and grey V-neck shirt with a yellow and orange opened over shirt on top, a turquoise bandana tied around his neck. He also wore grey capris, blue and white gloves, and tan shoes that were like Hightops.

"Hope," Lightning said. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to help," he said. "I ran into some Heartless and Nobodies on my way here. So the street back towards the base is clear."

"You guys have a base?" Zephyr asked.

Hope nodded. "Yeah. Technically it's my house, but it works."

"Sweet."

"What brings you here? Merlin said you'd be coming."

Donald and Goofy looked at each other, and then at Hope. "Merlin is here?"

"Yeah. He wants to see you. Says it's important."

"Then we better get over there," Mickey said.

"Of course, Your Majesty. Follow me."

Apolla, Zephyr, Ren, and Axel looked at each other, their faces all asking the same question: _How does Hope know the King?_

Noticing that the others were already running after Hope, the four of them quickly caught up so as not to fall behind. Not knowing the town very well, they didn't want to get lost.

_Wonder what Merlin needs to tell us_, Ren wondered. _What is so important?_

* * *

><p>AN: Now you see why this is my favorite chapter. Lightning and Hope are two of my favorite characters from FFXIII. So, reviews anyone?


	11. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

Hey guys! I'm sure you were expecting an update, but, unfortunately, this is not the post you were hoping for. I'm sorry to tell you that I'm putting this story on temporary hiatus :( I haven't really had any motivation to write anything for this story and I don't want to leave you guys hanging in hopes that I will be getting a new chapter out.

Even though I'm not going to be writing anything for this story at the moment, it doesn't mean that I am going to be abandoning this story. Hell no! I am eventually going to come around and continue writing for this story. That's why I said _temporary _hiatus. Once I get motivation back and remember where I am going with this story, I'll be jumping back onto that Kingdom Hearts train! I promise, especially since I know that I want to do one for _Dream Drop Distance_ :)

Please forgive me guys! Hopefully I didn't lose any of you as readers because of this. Like I said, as soon as that spark comes back, I'll update. But until then, please enjoy any of my other stories!

And I want to thank those of you who have taken the time to read through the story. Huge thank you to those of you who reviewed that last chapter: **KHLegacy, XesmeKH, **and **Guest**. You are awesome!

If you didn't already know, I do have a Facebook account now, so please feel free to join me there for updates, pics and other random things.

See ya around!

~Xanthe :3


End file.
